Senior usability and pilot readiness assessment for an AI-powered chronic pain platform - BC-1018

Genre de projet: Recherche
Discipline(s) souhaitée(s): Performance physique humaine et loisirs, Sciences de la vie, Kinésiologie
Entreprise: Painsense Solution Inc.
Durée du projet: 4 à 6 mois
Date souhaitée de début: Dès que possible
Langue exigée: Anglais
Emplacement(s): BC, Canada
Nombre de postes: 1
Niveau de scolarité désiré: CollègeÉtudes de premier cycle/baccalauréatMaîtriseDoctorat
Ouvert aux candidatures de personnes inscrites à un établissement à l’extérieur du Canada: No

Au sujet de l’entreprise: 

PainSense is an AI-powered digital health platform that combines wearable sensing and intelligent mobile applications to deliver personalized coaching and actionable health insights. The platform helps users improve posture, mobility, and daily activities while enabling long-term health monitoring and stronger connections with healthcare professionals. Designed with older adults in mind, PainSense emphasizes accessibility, ease of use, and scalable real-world adoption to support healthy aging and independent living.

Painsense is currently preparing for future pilot studies and commercialization activities in Canada. The company is particularly interested in understanding how digital health solutions can be effectively integrated into senior care, rehabilitation, and community healthcare settings.

Through collaboration with academic researchers, Painsense aims to generate evidence-based insights related to technology adoption, stakeholder needs, healthcare workflow integration, and pilot readiness to support future implementation and scale-up activities.

Veuillez décrire le projet.: 

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting ~619 million people in 2020 and projected to reach 843 million by 2050, with global costs of $50–100 billion annually. In Canada, over one-third of seniors are affected, representing ~2.7 million people in 2024, with numbers expected to rise as the population ages. Healthcare systems are also under strain, with median wait times reaching 30 weeks and physicians spending 44% of their time on administrative tasks, much of which is unnecessary or could be delegated—highlighting a clear need for scalable, efficient, technology-enabled solutions.

This project will evaluate the usability, adoption potential, healthcare workflow compatibility, and pilot readiness of an AI-powered wearable and digital health platform designed to support older adults living with chronic low back pain.

The project will explore how older adults, family caregivers, physiotherapists, rehabilitation professionals, and healthcare organizations perceive and interact with wearable monitoring technologies and digital health tools. The selected researcher will support stakeholder engagement activities, including interviews, focus groups, literature reviews, environmental scans, and usability assessments. The project will also explore barriers and facilitators influencing technology adoption among older adults and healthcare providers.

Additional activities may include healthcare workflow mapping, pilot implementation planning, identification of key success metrics, and development of recommendations for future deployment and commercialization strategies.

Research findings will help inform product refinement, pilot study design, implementation planning, healthcare partnership development, and evidence-based decision-making as Painsense prepares for future validation studies and real-world healthcare adoption in Canada.

Methodologies may include qualitative research, mixed-methods analysis, stakeholder interviews, thematic analysis, usability evaluation, and implementation research approaches.

Expertise ou compétences exigées: 

The project requires interdisciplinary research skills combining healthy aging, digital health, rehabilitation, and healthcare innovation. The selected researcher will support the design and execution of applied research activities aimed at evaluating the adoption, usability, and implementation readiness of an AI-powered wearable and digital health platform for older adults living with chronic low back pain.

Key required skills include:

• Strong qualitative and mixed-methods research skills, including literature reviews, interview design, focus group facilitation, data collection, and analysis
• Ability to engage with seniors, caregivers, physiotherapists, rehabilitation professionals, and healthcare organizations
• Experience or coursework in kinesiology, rehabilitation sciences, public health, health sciences, digital health, human-computer interaction, or related disciplines
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills for interpreting research findings and identifying actionable insights
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for preparing reports, presentations, and stakeholder summaries
• Ability to translate research findings into practical recommendations for pilot planning, implementation, and commercialization

Optional Assets:

• Experience conducting interviews, focus groups, usability studies, or community-based research involving older adults
• Experience working with healthcare providers, rehabilitation professionals, caregivers, or healthcare organizations
• Knowledge of chronic pain management, healthy aging, rehabilitation, or digital health technologies
• Familiarity with healthcare workflow analysis, implementation science, or user experience research
• Experience using qualitative analysis, survey, or research management tools

Strong communication, analytical, stakeholder engagement, and report-writing skills are highly valued.

Additional familiarity with the Canadian low back pain care landscape, digital health products for seniors, physical therapy, or aging populations would be considered an asset.