Listed Australian company PainChek (ASX:PCK) has welcomed a $5 million federal government commitment that will see use of its pain recognition app implemented in Australian residential aged care centres.
The PainChek app automatically detects pain via artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology.
The company said research shows it is already driving enhanced quality aged care and improved pain management in residential settings across Australia.
Aged care minister Ken Wyatt made the announcement that will see a universal PainChek access license for the more than 1,000 residential aged care providers in Australia and their 100,000 residents living with dementia for a one year period.
“This investment is set to trigger widespread and long-term use of the PainChek app," said PainChek CEO Philip Daffas.
"From a business perspective we have been focused on how best to facilitate national uptake. We have been making good progress by approaching aged care providers individually but this takes the implementation to a whole new level in double-quick time.
“The feedback is very positive from the residential aged care centres that are already using PainChek. So facilitating uptake is going to provide equality of access to all service providers and their residents living with dementia.
"We are well positioned to roll out PainChek rapidly through a range of training programmes and partners including on-line training capabilities and we will be working hard to implement PainChek as quickly as possible across nominated trial aged care homes”
He continued, “PainChek is a uniquely Australian invention being progressed by an Australian leader in digital health innovation. The app effectively gives a voice to people who cannot verbalise their pain and we look forward to working with the government to expand our efforts to do just that.”
PainChek chief scientific officer, Professor Jeff Hughes, said he was delighted government support was focused in the aged care setting.
“This government funding is consistent with our extensive clinical study work which demonstrates the effectiveness and reliability of PainChek in identifying pain. The bulk of this work was conducted on people living with moderate to severe dementia,” said Professor Hughes.