Using smart devices to better understand and treat pain after surgery
Official title: Leveraging Multimodal Digital Health Data to Improve Understanding, Prediction, and Treatment of Postoperative Pain
Funded at Dartmouth College · NIH-11426000 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Dartmouth-led project uses smartphones and wearables with smart AI to predict and manage persistent pain that can follow surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Dartmouth College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hanover, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 2026 |
| Project end | March 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $449,625 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM165456-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11426000 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults undergoing surgery who consent to share digital health data and smartphone/wearable data for post-surgical follow-up.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not use or consent to digital health technologies or who do not experience PPSP may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project will collect data from digital devices after surgery to identify signals that predict persistent post-surgical pain. Advanced AI methods will analyze multiple data streams to create digital biomarkers that help tailor pain prevention and treatment for individual patients. The effort aims to improve early identification of those at risk and guide personalized care over the first months after surgery. Participants will be adults undergoing surgery who consent to share data from wearable devices and digital health apps over time.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more personalized pain prevention and treatment, reducing long-term pain and improving recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work showed that digital biomarkers from smartphones and wearables improved PPSP prediction by 34%, supporting further development.
Where this research is happening
-
Dartmouth College
Hanover, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Frumkin, Madelyn — Dartmouth College
- Study coordinator: Frumkin, Madelyn
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.