Towards Multimodal Pain Assessment for Research and Clinical Use

Abstract

Pain is a complex phenomenon that requires consideration of individual differences in the index person, those with whom they interact, and the social context. Pain displays vary, with some patients highly expressive regarding their pain and others exhibiting minimal discomfort. Given myriad individual differences among patients, their families, and healthcare providers, pain is often poorly assessed, which can result in improper treatment. An automatic and reliable assessment of the onset, intensity, and pattern of occurrence of pain would help ensure the best possible treatment. Given these potential medical implications, increasing efforts are underway to develop intelligent systems to enable objective measurement and monitoring of pain.