Conversational Agents to Support Pain Management: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

Pain-related conditions are the leading cause of years lived with disability globally. Managing pain presents significant challenges, including the need to address multiple biopsychosocial factors and the difficulty in delivering evidence-based treatments. Digital health technologies, such as conversational agents, offer the potential for personalised and accessible pain management. However, the characteristics and effectiveness of these interventions are not yet fully understood. This scoping review aims to comprehensively evaluate the applications and effectiveness of conversational agents in supporting pain management in adults (i.e., healthy individuals at risk of developing pain, individuals currently experiencing pain and healthcare providers or students involved in managing pain conditions).

METHODS

Searches were systematically conducted across six databases-MEDLINE PubMed, ACM Digital Library, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL-and five trial registries from inception.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight studies were included, focusing on capturing health information (n = 8), providing emotional support (n = 7), facilitating adherence to self-management exercises (n = 6), delivering psychological treatment (n = 5), offering organisational support (n = 1) and educating healthcare providers (n = 1). These studies addressed conditions with pain as a central or common symptom, including dementia (n = 7), cancer (n = 5) and musculoskeletal disorders (n = 4), among others. None of the conversational agents on the market covered all four stages recommended for translational research (development, feasibility, effectiveness and implementation).

CONCLUSION

The use of conversational agents in pain management is relatively new and involves diverse and promising appllications. However, evidence supporting their effectiveness in improving pain-related outcomes remains limited and heterogeneous. Future reseacrh should prioritise feasibility, reliability, and user experience studies to inform the design of robust randomised controlled trials.

SIGNIFICANCE: This scoping review comprehensively examines the use of conversational agents (CAs) in adult pain management. The study identified six applications of CAs to support pain management and highlights a lack of high-quality randomised controlled trials, particularly those preceded by development and feasibility studies. Clinicians and researchers can use these insights to guide future studies and improve applications of CAs in pain management.