Piloting StudyU: A Digital Tool for Self-Management of Chronic Pain
Chronic non-cancer pain presents significant challenges for individuals and primary healthcare systems. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of StudyU, a digital self-management tool designed to support personalised behavioural experiments for reducing pain-related disability. StudyU integrates a mobile app, web-based designer tools, individualised clinical reports, and training packages for healthcare professionals and patients. It employs single-case experimental designs (N-of-1), enabling patients to act as their own control to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions such as physical activity, mindfulness, and physiotherapy.
The pilot study included four participants with diverse chronic pain conditions, who used StudyU to rate daily pain impact over a 10-week period while testing low-cost, non-pharmacological, self-management strategies guided by their general medical practitioners. Feasibility outcomes included participant recruitment and retention, usability assessments, and acceptability measures. Preliminary clinical outcomes examined changes in pain interference, pain severity, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life.
Preliminary pilot patients reported that StudyU was simple to use (System Usability Scale scores ranged from 80 to 100), with participants reporting ease of learning and an appreciation for its ability to track the impact of single interventions. While clinical improvements in pain metrics were not statistically significant, participants noted increased motivation and lasting positive changes to their routines. Feedback highlighted areas for improvement, such as flexible data entry times, additional educational resources, and features for tracking multiple interventions.
This pilot study provides preliminary findings suggesting that StudyU is a feasible and acceptable tool for supporting chronic pain self-management. Modifications based on participant feedback have been implemented, and funding has been secured for a larger trial in general practice settings. Future research will provide a deeper understanding of how StudyU can be integrated into general practice environments to empower patients to make informed, personalised, and shared treatment decisions, ultimately improving the self-management of chronic pain.