Summer 2022

Scan Design Innovations in Pain Research Summer Program

Chronic pain affects 30% of children and adolescents, and despite the importance of effective, early interventions, youth often have poor access to pain care. Considering how many teens nowadays own a smartphone, digital health interventions are transforming accessibility to chronic pain care. But how can we assess engagement with such interventions and improve the user experience? As a Scan Design Innovations in Pain Research Scholar, I worked with Dr. Tonya Palermo in the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute to explore these questions.

The Pediatric Pain and Sleep Innovations Lab focuses on managing and preventing the development of chronic pain in youth. To help teens with chronic pain develop pain management strategies, our lab created a mobile app called Web-based Management of Adolescent Pain (WebMAP). In a 2020 study, Dr. Palermo and her colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of WebMAP and its implementation in clinical settings. Using the app metadata and qualitative data from that study, I performed a secondary analysis to evaluate engagement with WebMAP through user usage and perception. We found that sex and total app usage significantly predicted completion of the intervention while age, pain intensity, and pain-related disability did not. The qualitative data also revealed that although users liked WebMAP's design and content, they suggested changes to its display and features. My research helped me understand how we can optimize digital health interventions for chronic pain management, and moving forward, we hope to incorporate these ideas as we develop the next release of WebMAP.

Although I didn't get to work with any patients, it was amazing to see how we can bring psychological interventions to the palms of their hands. I am interested in design, healthcare, research, and technology, and my internship has demonstrated that digital health lies at the heart of those areas. As I navigated this new field, I felt valued and supported by my mentor. Through regular check-in meetings and countless email threads, Dr. Palermo helped me find the confidence to be independent in my research while offering guidance when I needed it. She was an incredible role model and I couldn't have imagined working with anyone else for my first clinical research experience!

In terms of the skills I gained, I learned a lot about qualitative coding, analyzing metadata, and designing a strong scientific poster, all of which have made me a better researcher. I also got to hone my public speaking skills by presenting to our lab, the Scan Design journal club, the Scan Design Board, and the Summer Symposium. In one of my favorite presentations, I gave our lab members some tips on designing and giving an effective presentation, after which professors, post-docs, and research coordinators asked me to look over their own presentations! I'm so thankful that my internship allowed me to both conduct innovative research and share my passion for science communication.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of my Scan Design cohort and the URP staff. I'm particularly grateful for Sophie, whom I met as a URL last year but really got to know this summer through our advising appointments. I also proposed the idea of doing an Honors independent study under her supervision, which led to us working on a publication together!

Overall, this has been the most transformational summer of my college years, and I'm thrilled to continue working with Dr. Palermo into the school year and the URP staff as a URL!