Abstract
The development, implementation, and qualitative evaluation of smartphone-based pain management applications may provide an opportunity for more optimal management of pediatric pain in the homesetting. The present mixed-method study was conducted to assess a smartphone-based pain management application regarding the feasibility, adherence, participant satisfaction, and effectiveness on pain intensity and quality of life in adolescents with chronic pain. The study was carried out in the quantitative and qualitative stages using a mixed-method approach. The quantitative stage included 128 adolescents who met the ICD-11 criteria of chronic pain. After random allocation, adolescents allocated to the intervention group received a pain management program through a smartphone-based application. No education was given to the adolescents in the control group. The adolescents were assessed regarding pain intensity and different dimensions of quality of life at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up. The findings in the quantitative stage were explained by qualitative interviews. The findings of the quantitative stage showed significant improvements in the pain intensity, emotional, social, and school functioning but not in the physical functioning of the adolescents. A high level of adherence (78.12%) and satisfaction (Mean = 26.45, SD = 6.45) with thes martphone-based pain management program was found. Based on the qualitative interviews, adolescents’ pain management strategies can be classified in three main categories: physical management, psychological management, and interpersonal resources. The results confirm the positive effect of a smartphone-based pain management program on the pain intensity and different dimensions of quality of life of adolescents with chronic pain. Within the context of chronic pain management, a mobile application incorporating both the psychological and physical management of pain may help adolescents with chronic pain to reduce the negative impacts of pain on their life.
Highlights
The development, implementation, and qualitative evaluation of smartphone-based pain management applications may provide an opportunity for more optimal management of pediatric pain in the homesetting
The lack of a significant change in the physical functioning of the intervention group in the quantitative stage can be attributed to the fact that a change has occurred only in the attitude due to the short duration of the education, and no significant change has occurred in terms of behavior with regard to physical functioning
By combining qualitative and quantitative data, the present study provides richer and deeper information about the management of chronic pain in adolescents
Summary
The development, implementation, and qualitative evaluation of smartphone-based pain management applications may provide an opportunity for more optimal management of pediatric pain in the homesetting. The present mixed-method study was conducted to assess a smartphonebased pain management application regarding the feasibility, adherence, participant satisfaction, and effectiveness on pain intensity and quality of life in adolescents with chronic pain. Adolescents allocated to the intervention group received a pain management program through a smartphone-based application. The findings of the quantitative stage showed significant improvements in the pain intensity, emotional, social, and school functioning but not in the physical functioning of the adolescents. The results confirm the positive effect of a smartphone-based pain management program on the pain intensity and different dimensions of quality of life of adolescents with chronic pain. Management interventions have gained more and more attention regarding the treatment of chronic pain during adolescence
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