Co-Design of Assistive Robotic Systems for Monitoring and Management of Chronic Pain

用于监测和管理慢性疼痛的辅助机器人系统的协同设计

• 批准号: 2748198
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Nottingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2748198
• 关键词: Co; Design; Assistive; Robotic; Systems

Pain is an unpleasant sensation which we all experience throughout the course of life, but it serves the useful evolutionary purpose of alerting us to danger and allowing us to protect our bodies. However, chronic pain does not serve this purpose and can persist in the absence of injury or tissue damage. Chronic pain is an umbrella term for any pain that persists for longer than 3 months, and includes a wide range of conditions such as osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), headaches and migraines, and chronic back pain [1]. In the UK 62% of people over 75 live with some form of chronic pain, and in at least 10% this pain is moderately to severely disabling [2]. Worldwide, long-term pain effects over 30% of the adult population [3], however despite this prevalence, little is understood about its neurological mechanisms. Due to increased awareness of the drawbacks of opioid use, recent NICE guidelines for treating chronic pain emphasise building a collaborative treatment plan between patients and clinicians [4]. This project aims to use emerging technologies from robotics, sensing, and machine learning to aid in the detection and management of chronic pain.Chronic pain can be difficult to detect and diagnose, as pain levels fluctuate for an individual daily, so sensors in the home may be suitable for monitoring the effects of pain over a period much longer than a clinical consultation. This could also help with detection in changing levels of health or mobility over time [5]. However, if we are to place sensors within the home, we need to understand how they can collect data which is sufficient to inform the user and clinician about health status, whilst still being acceptable to that end user [6].If pain can be sensed and understood, there may be the opportunity to develop assistive technology that can then respond appropriately and be integrated with pain management plans. Assistive robots may be able to aid in pain management by providing distraction (through pain gating) [7] or using soothing touch, which release oxytocin to reduce pain [8]. Robotic pain management interventions using these mechanisms have shown promise, but little research has been conducted to understand the desires of older adults experiencing pain, despite this being the largest pain demographic [9].Therefore, alongside the industry partner, ExtraCare Charitable trust, this project will include a series of co-design activities alongside older adults living with pain at ExtraCare retirement villages. Using surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other design workshops, we hope to understand the needs of this demographic to develop assistive technologies for pain management, with a particular focus on acceptability, usability and accessibility.

疼痛是一种令人不愉快的感觉，我们在整个生活过程中都经历过，但它具有提醒我们危险并允许我们保护身体的有用进化目的。但是，慢性疼痛无法达到此目的，并且在没有受伤或组织损伤的情况下可以持续存在。对于任何持续超过3个月的疼痛，慢性疼痛是一个伞术，包括多种疾病，例如骨和类风湿关节炎，纤维肌痛，复杂的区域疼痛综合征（CRPS），头痛和偏头痛以及慢性背痛[ 1]。在英国，有62％的75岁以上的人患有某种形式的慢性疼痛，至少有10％的疼痛是中度严重致残的[2]。在全球范围内，长期的疼痛影响超过30％的成年人群[3]，但是尽管存在这种流行，但对其神经系统机制几乎没有理解。由于对阿片类药物使用的缺点的认识提高，最近的慢性疼痛指南强调了患者和临床医生之间的协作治疗计划[4]。该项目旨在使用来自机器人技术，感应和机器学习的新兴技术来帮助检测和管理慢性疼痛。由于每天的每日疼痛水平波动，因此很难检测和诊断chronic疼痛，因此家庭中的传感器可能适合于比临床咨询时间更长的时间内监测疼痛的影响。随着时间的流逝，这也可能有助于检测健康水平或移动性水平[5]。但是，如果我们要将传感器放置在房屋内，我们需要了解它们如何收集足以告知用户和临床医生健康状况的数据，而该最终用户仍然可以接受[6]。经过感知和理解，可能有机会开发辅助技术，然后可以做出适当的反应并与疼痛管理计划融合。辅助机器人可能能够通过分散注意力（通过疼痛门控）[7]或使用舒缓的触摸来帮助疼痛管理，或者使用舒缓的触摸释放催产素以减轻疼痛[8]。使用这些机制的机器人疼痛管理干预措施已经表现出了希望，但是几乎没有进行研究以了解老年人的欲望，尽管这是最大的疼痛人群[9]。因此，与行业伙伴，Extracare Charitable Trust，此事，此项目将包括一系列共同设计的活动，以及在Extracare退休村庄患有疼痛的老年人。使用调查，访谈，焦点小组和其他设计研讨会，我们希望了解该人群的需求，以开发辅助技术以进行疼痛管理，特别关注可接受性，可用性和可及性。