Dolodoc, an App to Leverage Self-Management of Chronic Pain: Design, Development, and Implementation Report.

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain affects approximately 19% of the European population and presents major challenges, both in terms of individual impact and the economic burden on health care systems. While clinical expertise remains essential, patient empowerment through self-management tools has become a key component in the long-term management of chronic pain.

Objective: This report describes the development and implementation of Dolodoc, a mobile app designed to support patients with chronic pain in monitoring and managing their condition.

Methods: Developed by a research and development team at the University Hospitals of Geneva, Dolodoc enables users to track their pain across 7 dimensions of daily life. A digital coach provides personalized guidance, drawing from a corpus of over 80 evidence-based recommendations elaborated by clinical experts. The project was conducted over 4 years with the early involvement of stakeholders, including pain specialists and end users, to ensure alignment with user needs. Emphasis was placed on both the scientific validity and accessibility of the recommendations.

Results: The project was completed on time and within budget. The app was made freely available to patients identified as likely to benefit. However, a notable limitation is the absence of predefined key performance indicators to assess the impact of the intervention quantitatively.

Conclusions: This implementation report illustrates how mobile technology can be leveraged in a university hospital context to address the needs of patients with chronic pain and promote self-management. Early and sustained collaboration with stakeholders was instrumental in aligning the solution with both clinical evidence and user expectations.