Chatbots can be a useful tool to help manage chronic pain, according to new Australian research

Queensland research fellow Dr Nicole Andrews will present the findings of a pilot Australian study of chronic pain patients and how they interacted with a chatbot as part of their ongoing treatment. 

She is speaking at the 2025 symposium of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists in Cairns.

Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide, and managing it effectively requires personalised care and continuous monitoring.

“Our study suggests that chatbots could play an essential role in enhancing chronic pain management, particularly in making education more accessible and personalised for patients of all ages,” Dr Andrews explains.

One of the most notable findings of the study was the positive response from older adults some of whom may face challenges in using digital health tools.

The study, led by a team of clinicians and software engineers, developed and then assessed ‘Dolores’, a chatbot designed to capture pain history and educate users about pain and treatment options.

The study involved 60 participants living with chronic pain across three age groups: adolescents (10-18 years), young adults (19-35 years), and adults (35+ years), all attending Australian outpatient pain centres.

Participants spent 20 to 30 minutes interacting with the chatbot, answering questions about their pain and learning about pain management strategies. Participants reported that Dolores helped them feel more in control of their pain management and provided an accessible way to learn more about their condition.

Participants then completed a feedback questionnaire evaluating the chatbot's performance.

While the findings revealed high levels of engagement across age groups they also revealed that adults and young adults were less likely to provide negative feedback on the chatbot’s speech quality compared to adolescents. The study identified a need for further refinement in speech features to improve the chatbot's interaction, particularly for younger users.

“This research supports the idea that pain education delivered via chatbot is not only feasible but also highly acceptable to people of all ages” Dr Andrews, a clinical research fellow at the RECOVER Injury Research Centre at the University of Queensland, explains.

“The ability to engage in personalised pain education through technology is a step forward in improving chronic pain management."

Dr Andrews says while artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant potential to improve accessibility and quality of care, the technology is still viewed as untrustworthy by many.

According to a recent survey of 1000 Australian adults cited in her presentation, about a quarter (27 per cent) said they would not trust AI to handle any health-related tasks compared to 44 per cent of British respondents and six per cent of US respondents.