Wearable Pain Detector Using Heart Rate and Skin Conductance

Pain not only impacts the physical condition but is also influenced by physiological factors that play a role in amplifying or influencing pain. A common approach used to manage pain is the use of opioids. The use of opioids in pain management has risks, especially overdose due to inappropriate use. One factor that can contribute to overdose is the lack of objective pain assessment. One method to assess pain is the visual analog scale. Due to its subjective nature, this can lead to inconsistent and inaccurate assessments. To overcome this impact, a wearable pain detector was developed that is designed to detect pain by combining two physiological parameters, namely heart rate activity and skin conductance, which produces a pain scale with a range of 0-10, and provides classification with categories ranging from “no pain” to “most severe pain”. The classification process is performed using the simple linear regression method. Overall, the wearable pain detector had an accuracy of 75% in calculating the pain scale of the subject. The product is designed in the form of a wearable device that resembles a watch, making it comfortable for patients to use.