About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

New Software Reads Kids' Expression to Automatically Monitor Pain Levels

by Bidita Debnath on June 1, 2015 at 10:50 PM
Font : A-A+

New Software Reads Kids' Expression to Automatically Monitor Pain Levels

Assessing the exact pain levels of child patients could now be a lot easier with researchers having found a new method to better measure their pain levels by using a novel facial pattern recognition software.

"The current methods by which we analyze pain in kids are suboptimal," said senior author Jeannie Huang, professor at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the US. "In this study, we developed and tested a new instrument, which allowed us to automatically assess pain in children in a clinical setting. We believe this technology, which enables continuous pain monitoring, can lead to better and more timely pain management," Huang said.

Advertisement

Huang said controlling pain is important, not only for the child's comfort, but also for recovery. However, several issues, particularly age-related communication difficulties, make existing pediatric pain assessment methods problematic.

Clinical pain assessments, aided by nurses or parents, are often used in lieu of patient self-report in children because of these limitations.

The researchers used the software to analyze pain-related facial expressions from videos taken of 50 youths, aged five to 18 years old, who had undergone laparoscopic appendectomies at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.
Advertisement

Based on the analysis, along with clinical data input by the study team, the software provided pain level scores for each participant.

"The software demonstrated good-to-excellent accuracy in assessing pain conditions," said Huang.

"Overall, this technology performed equivalent to parents and better than nurses. It also showed strong correlations with patient self-reported pain ratings," Huang added.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Source: IANS
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Reading

Latest Medical Gadgets

How Does a Biohybrid Device Restore Function in Paralyzed Limbs?
A novel type of neural implant was found to restore limb function to amputees. The implant sheds insights into brain-machine interfaces.
Wearable Sensor for Monitoring Muscle Atrophy
The wearable sensor for muscle atrophy, the muscle condition can be used by an astronaut on a long mission to keep track of his health.
New Custom 3D-Printed Heart Replicas Look like Real Human Heart: Here's How
Newly developed custom 3D-printed heart replicas look and pump just like real human heart.
 Surgical Robotics Market Size to Hit $30.7 Billion by 2030
What is the market size for surgical robotics? The market size is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.0% from 2023 to 2030.
Life-saver: Apple Watch Saves Wearer's Life From Fatal Internal Bleeding
Is the Apple Watch a life-saver? Yes, the Apple Watch 7 saves the wearer's life by alerting about fatal internal bleeding following a nap.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

New Software Reads Kids' Expression to Automatically Monitor Pain Levels Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests