PainChek: Innovation in care

PainChek helps our clinical teams recognise signs of pain, especially for people who may find it difficult to explain how they are feeling, such as those living with dementia or communication difficulties.

The technology supports better, more personalised care by helping us understand when a resident may be uncomfortable and needs extra support.

How does PainChek work?

PainChek is a digital pain assessment tool that uses AI facial analysis alongside observations from our trained care teams. It looks at 42 signs of pain across six areas:

• Facial expressions

• Voice

• Movement

• Behaviour

• Activity

• Body

These observations help build a fuller picture of how someone may be feeling.

PainChek does not replace our carers or nurses. Every assessment is led by experienced clinical professionals, who use their judgement alongside the technology to decide the best course of action.

When needed, we work closely with GPs and other healthcare professionals to review care and medication.

How does PainChek benefit our residents?

PainChek helps us provide more responsive, person-centred care. The benefits include:

• Earlier recognition of pain that may otherwise go unnoticed.

• Better support for people who cannot easily communicate discomfort.

• More evidence to support clinical decisions.

• Medication reviews based on clear assessment trends.

• The opportunity to reduce unnecessary medication where appropriate.

• Improved comfort, wellbeing and quality of life.

• Reduced stress and distress caused by untreated pain.

Supporting safe, personalised care

Every resident is different.

PainChek helps us monitor changes over time, so we can respond quickly if someone's needs change.

The technology is one part of our wider care planning process and is always used alongside:

• Clinical judgement

• Regular observation

• Conversations with residents and families

• Advice from GPs and other healthcare professionals

• Research and innovation

To continue improving this technology further, Renaissance Care are working with Edinburgh Napier University, which is carrying out research into how PainChek supports residents in Scottish care services. This partnership helps us continue to develop evidence-based, person-centred care to benefit residents now and in years to come.

• How does PainChek work?

  Aiding our teams, the easy-to-use PainChek tool non-invasively tracks and scores residents' pain through our care planning platform by combining clinical judgement with AI technology. This supports evidence-based collaboration with partners like GPs to create personalised interventions.

• How accurate is PainChek AI?

  Studies such as those from the National Library of Medicine report that PainChek is effective in detecting pain in care home residents with over 90% accuracy. To leverage this and provide the best possible care, clinical judgement and observation are always used in conjunction with the tool, complementing its AI technology.

• Is PainChek data secure?

  Security and data protection are hugely important to us. Aligning with these values, PainChek has achieved ISO/IEC 27001 certification, a globally recognised standard for information security management, demonstrating a commitment to robust data protection and risk management.

• How does PainChek help staff identify non-verbal pain cues?

  PainChek uses AI-driven technology to conduct facial analysis, which supports the detection of non-verbal pain. The process also incorporates pain indicators such as body movements and vocalisations, and these insights, combined with clinical judgment, establish the pain score.