A Therapeutic Conversational Agent (Solace) for Management of Chronic Pain: Acceptability and Usability Study.
P Maxwell Slepian, Stephanie Buryk-Iggers, Anna M Lomanowska and 5 others
PMID 41711568WHAT IT FOUND
People with chronic pain found a new AI chatbot easy to use and acceptable, and reported a strong working relationship after at least 25 minutes.
This is not evidence it treats pain.
Key findings
01Participants rated Solace as excellent usability (mean 85.04 on the 100-point System Usability Scale), and treatment acceptability ratings averaged 3.77 of 5 on the TEI-SF and 5.47 of 7 on the TAAS.
02Participants reported a strong working alliance with Solace, with shared goals rated highest, followed by agreement on tasks, then the therapeutic bond.
03Self-reported fear of movement, pain resilience, activity engagement, anxiety and pain interference improved after the conversation, but the study had no control condition and was not designed as a treatment test.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 175 of 221 participants who consented and completed the pre-interaction survey were analysed for usability, acceptability and therapeutic alliance because they had to engage for at least 25 minutes. The sample was recruited online, was primarily White and working full time, and did not have verified clinical diagnoses, so it may not represent people with chronic pain seeking care. There was no control group and the study was not designed as a treatment test, so after-conversation changes cannot be separated from time, attention, expectation, or measurement wording. The session was short, at least 25 minutes, and PROMIS items asked about the last 7 days, which does not match a single short session. Safety guardrails were not activated in the study, so their real-world performance for suicidal ideation, self-harm, emergencies or medication advice was not tested. Algorithmic fairness was not assessed, and responses required early high school reading level.
Declared interests
The chatbot was developed by ManagingLife. TJ is the founder and CEO of ManagingLife, BN is an employee of ManagingLife, PMS is an independent consultant for ManagingLife, and JK and HC are unpaid members of the ManagingLife Advisory Board. All other authors declare no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude Solace is an effective chronic pain treatment. The study had no control group, was not designed as a treatment trial, and measured changes after a single short conversation.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →