Scientists are working on a new method for individuals suffering from chronic pain. An expert from the United States is developing a way to measure pain sensations transmitted by nerve fibers in the body.

Scientists are hoping to detect biomarkers among proteins, hormones, and metabolites associated with pain.

Doctors stated that utilizing these biomarkers to measure pain will increase the accuracy of diagnoses and help determine how effective medications are in alleviating patients’ suffering.

According to a report in The Washington Post, in the age of genomic medicine and artificial intelligence, doctors still ask patients to rate their pain from 0 to 10, or use cartoon faces ranging from smiling to frowning when dealing with very young children. Studies have shown that these efforts have been undermined by biases within the medical community, leading to a consistent underestimation of pain experienced by women and minorities, particularly African Americans. However, researchers are now in search of objective biological markers that would allow doctors to measure pain just as they measure heart rate and blood pressure.

The wave of research on these markers, known as biomarkers, is yielding results for approximately one in every four Americans living with chronic pain. Additionally, it may provide a means of communication for infants and others who are unable to articulate how they feel.

“GETTING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME”

One researcher is developing a method to measure pain sensations transmitted by nerve fibers in the body. Julia Finkel, an anesthesiologist at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, hopes to develop the first device that determines both the type and intensity of pain accurately. Finkel expressed that achieving an accurate objective pain measurement could also lead to cost savings within the healthcare system. She stated, “You get it right the first time rather than this empirical, trial-and-error approach. The current standard of care is asking you a bunch of questions, collecting laboratory data. They get back to you the following week. At your next visit, next month, we go up, down, or change the medication based on what we saw in the labs.”