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. 2023 Aug 11:4:1208513.
doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1208513. eCollection 2023.

Understanding chronic pain in the ubiquitous community: the role of open data

Federico Monaco  1 , Emmanouil Georgiadis  2 , Kakia Chatsiou  3 , Antonio Bonacaro  1   4
Affiliations

Understanding chronic pain in the ubiquitous community: the role of open data

Federico Monaco et al. Front Pain Res (Lausanne). .

Abstract

The combined use of social media, open data, and Artificial Intelligence has the potential to support practitioners and empower patients/citizens living with persistent pain, both as local and online communities. Given the wide availability of digital technology today, both practitioners and interested individuals can be connected with virtual communities and can support each other from the comfort of their homes. Digital means may represent new avenues for exploring the complexity of the pain experience. Online interactions of patients, data on effective treatments, and data collected by wearable devices may represent an incredible source of psychological, sociological, and physiological pain-related information. Digital means might provide several solutions that enhance inclusiveness and motivate patients to share personal experiences, limiting the sense of isolation in both rural and metropolitan areas. Building on the consensus of the usefulness of social media in enhancing the understanding of persistent pain and related subjective experiences via online communities and networks, we provide relevant scenarios where the effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare delivery might be improved by the adoption of the digital technologies mentioned above and repeated subsequently. The aim of this perspective paper is to explore the potential of open data, social media, and Artificial Intelligence in improving the prevention and management of persistent pain by adopting innovative non-biomedical approaches.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; chronic pain; non-biomedical approach; open data; patient empowerment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Blueprint of information architecture and a data sharing model for open patient data 161 ecosystems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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