PANDA-Regional Feasibility Study of a Smartphone Pain Management Application

The At-home Feasibility Evaluation of PANDA-Regional, a Smartphone Application Designed to Support Post-operative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Peripheral Nerve Blocks

Despite the numerous benefits of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) over general anesthesia (GA) in a variety of surgical procedures, PNBs can be associated with increased post-operative pain if pain medications are not taken correctly (titrated). Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence as patients often have difficulty titrating medications in the absence of direct medical care. PANDA, a smartphone-based postoperative pain management tool, is designed to address this issue by helping patients manage their pain medications. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of this application in patients who are discharged after receiving PNBs. The goal is to identify areas of improvement for the application itself. It is hypothesize that PANDA will be successful in supporting patients' postoperative pain management.

As above

Inclusion Criteria:

• Undergoing ambulatory surgical procedures that require peripheral nerve blocks for which there is an anticipated post-surgical pain model
• Planned post-discharge analgesic medications including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acetaminophen and/or opioids for at least 2 days
• ASA I-III
• Written informed consent
• Have a smartphone device at their disposal

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability or refusal to provide informed consent
• Presence of significant cognitive impairment, visual impairments, neurological injury, or psychomotor dysfunction that impairs ability to use the app
• Inability to follow study instructions and complete questionnaires in English