Soma Pain Manager icon

Soma Pain Manager

Brown University
Evidence Tier:DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:Researchers & AcademicsClinicians & Healthcare ProfessionalsGeneral Public & EnthusiastsPatients & Caregivers
Free
Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

App Summary

Soma Pain Manager is a smartphone app from Brown University that lets people with chronic pain, or people recovering from injury or surgery, record how their pain changes from day to day. Using experience sampling, it captures pain intensity, unpleasantness, interference and location alongside mood, activities and treatments, then charts those trends over time and can produce a summary to share with a clinician. The associated research documents the app’s design as the data-collection front end for SOMAScience, a platform built so researchers and clinicians can gather longitudinal, multidimensional pain data.

App Screenshots

Soma Pain Manager screenshot 1 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 2 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 3 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 4 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 5 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 6 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 7 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 8 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 9 of 10Soma Pain Manager screenshot 10 of 10

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Soma Pain Manager is a smartphone app developed by researchers at Brown University's Carney Institute for Brain Science. It uses experience sampling to collect momentary and daily self-reports of pain intensity, unpleasantness, interference and location, together with mood, daily activities, treatments and predictions about the next day. A Trends section shows how those factors move together over time, and users can produce a summary screen to share with their doctor.

Evidence & Research Context

  • The app's design is documented in a development paper describing SOMAScience, the research platform for which Soma is the data-collection app.
  • The paper sets out the scientific, clinical, technological and user considerations behind the platform's design.
  • SOMAScience is built to let researchers and clinicians gather longitudinal, multidimensional self-report pain data across single-center and multicenter studies.
  • The authors present the app's data visualization as a way for people to gain insight into their own daily pain dynamics.

Intended Use & Scope

Soma Pain Manager is for people managing chronic pain or recovering from injury or surgery who want a structured record of their symptoms. Its purpose is self-monitoring and personal insight, and the data it collects also supports pain research. It does not diagnose conditions, recommend treatment, or replace clinical care; anyone with new or worsening pain should consult a qualified healthcare provider.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Development/Design Paper

SOMAScience: A Novel Platform for Multidimensional, Longitudinal Pain Assessment

Gunsilius et al. (2023) · JMIR Formative Research

Describes the research-driven development of this app.
Chronic pain is one of the most significant health issues in the United States, affecting more than 20% of the population. Despite its contribution to the increasing health crisis, reliable predictors of disease development, progression, or treatment outcomes are lacking. Self-report remains the most effective way to assess pain, but measures are often acquired in sparse settings over short time windows, limiting their predictive ability. In
... Read More

In the Media

SOMA – an app to monitor bodily symptoms

Soma Pain Manager, developed by Brown University, is a smartphone app designed to help individuals manage chronic pain. It allows users to input data on symptoms and medication, which is then used in computational models and machine learning algorithms to predict pain trajectories and treatment outcomes. The app aims to inform users about their pain trends, develop digital phenotypes and biomarkers, and tailor interventions. Soma is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and has garnered over 1500 users since its release.

BrownRead article

New pain management app SOMA is looking to understand your pain

Soma Pain Manager, developed by Brown University, is a free mobile app available on the App Store and Google Play Store. It helps users track pain levels, unpleasantness, and interference, along with how daily activities, medications, and treatments impact their pain over time. The app includes a "trend" section to display these influences and allows users to share a summary screen with their doctor. Soma also gathers data for researchers to study the transition from acute to chronic pain and aims to add an intervention program.

BostonglobeRead article

Brown researchers collaborate with software developers to release pain-monitoring app

Soma Pain Manager is a science-based app developed by Brown University researchers to help users monitor and manage acute and chronic pain. It allows users to log pain levels, locations, mood, activities, and treatments, and track progress through a Trends feature. The app aims to help users identify pain triggers and find effective reduction methods, with data also being used for research purposes. Soma is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, providing a pain diary to visualize progress over time.

BrowndailyheraldRead article

Soma Pain Manager

Free

iOSAndroid