Smart phone-based pain assessment and monitoring App developer PainChek (ASX:PCK) has received CE Mark clearance in Europe and the UK, and Therapeutic Goods Administration clearance in Australia for its Universal Pain Assessment Solution.
CEO, Philip Daffas, said that based on market feedback and client demand, PainChek expanded the utility of its PainChek app to include the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), an established standard used to document self-reported pain levels in patients who can self-report.
He said the combination of PainChek and the NRS in the Universal app allows carers to assess and manage pain for patients who cannot verbalise their pain and also now document and manage the pain score of those who can self-report their pain.
CE Mark and TGA clearance for the Universal app allows PainChek to market and sell it in Europe, the UK and Australia, in addition to Canada, Singapore and New Zealand, and provides functionality for a larger audience across aged care as well as in hospitals and for home care patients.
Historically, PainChek and NRS have been separate pain assessment processes in terms of function and documentation, as we initially developed PainChek to be used in situations where patients could not reliably verbalise their pain. We have now improved the process by incorporating the NRS into the PainChek app, combining the benefits of the two pain scales into one universal pain assessment and management solution,” Mr Daffas said.
“PainChek’s Universal solution now opens up the technology to those who can self-report their pain or who may be fluctuating between verbal and non-verbal communication. It means that PainChek can become a single, simple and rapid point-of-care solution for healthcare professionals in assessing and documenting pain across all their patients, in a broad range of settings including the larger home care and hospital care markets. Based on initial market feedback we expect this novel solution will be well received by our existing users and attract a wider global audience.”
The Universal app will also generate significant additional data on pain assessment outcomes and activity at individual, facility and group levels. This is presented through tailored dashboards to provide insights to clinicians to make important medical decisions on pain management and optimum therapeutic interventions.
PainChek will initially roll out the Universal app in Australia and the United Kingdom from April 2021 before moving onto mainland Europe and other overseas markets.
