Description
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pain Coach mobile application (app) for Veterans (Pain Coach) offers helpful tools to track and manage pain. You can reference educational information about pain; track your pain using a daily pain diary and a monthly check-in; monitor your progress managing your pain and see tables and graph of changes in your pain level over time and; use techniques and tools to manage pain.The Pain Coach App was created with Veterans and service members in mind, but anyone with chronic pain can benefit from the app’s educational resources, management tools and tracking features.
Although the app is meant to provide you with helpful tools to manage pain, the information it contains is not intended to be a substitute for clinical judgment or replace in-person visits with your VA care team.
Features:
- Track and manage pain with a daily pain dairy
- View graphs of changes in your pain level
- Learn techniques and tools to manage pain
- View educational resources about chronic pain management
- Update monthly check-in status that can be shared with your provider and Care Teams
Frequently Asked Questions
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pain Coach mobile application (app) for Veterans (Pain Coach) offers helpful tools to track and manage pain. You can reference educational information about pain; track your pain using a daily pain diary and a monthly check-in; monitor your progress managing your pain and see tables and graphs of changes in your pain level over time and; use techniques and tools to manage pain. The Pain Coach App was created with Veterans and service members in mind, but anyone with chronic pain can benefit from the app’s educational resources, management tools and tracking features.
To use the Pain Coach App, you must have ID.me, DS Logon Level 2 (Premium), or My HealtheVet Premium Account credentials. If you do not have any of these accounts, or you are not sure, visit www.id.me/about, mobile.va.gov/dslogon or https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/user-login for more information.
From the home screen, tap Track. Tap Daily Pain Diary, and you will go to a Daily Pain Diary screen. To submit a daily pain diary entry, you must indicate your pain rating for that day. All other fields are optional. To submit your pain rating entry, tap the drop-down menu next to Pain Rating. Tap the number from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable) that best describes your level of pain for the day. You may enter additional details to your daily pain diary entry by tapping on any or all of the following tabs:
- Treatments & Tools Used – Record what kind of treatments and tools you used to help you manage pain.
- Health Impact & Comments – Note how pain is affecting your health and add comments.
- Pain Description – Easily check-boxes next to the kind of pain you are experiencing.
No, you can’t edit a diary entry after it has been submitted. Make sure you have entered the information you want to track and record in all three tab categories - Treatments and Tools Used, Health Impact & Comments and Pain Description - before tapping Submit. Once you tap Submit from any of the three Daily Pain Diary tabs you will not be able to edit the entry or enter the Daily Pain Diary again until the next day.
Answer questions once a month to evaluate your pain. From the home screen, tap Track. Tap Monthly Check-in, and you will go through seven questions asking you about your pain intensity, pain interference, sleep quality, depression and overall status from a scale of 0 (best) to 10 (worst). Tap Next to go to the next question. Tap Submit to finalize the monthly check-in and view your average scores based on the questions. If the total score for depression is three or more, an Immediate Attention is Required notice will display indicating you should contact your VA care team.
From the home screen, tap Progress, and tap Completed Pain Diary Entries. You will see a table of your daily pain diary entries with columns for date submitted, pain rating and tools used. Tap the arrows at the top of the date submitted and pain rating column to sort by the column. To view the full report, tap the daily pain diary entry row you would like to view. You will go to the Completed Pain Diary Entry Detail screen, which will show you the date submitted, pain rating, treatments and tools used, health impact and comments and pain description.
From the home screen, tap Progress, and tap Completed Monthly Check-Ins. You will see a table of your monthly check-ins with columns for the date submitted, pain intensity, pain interference, sleep quality, depression and overall status. Tap the arrows at the top of each column to sort by the column. To view the full report, tap the monthly check-in row you would like to view. You will go to the Completed Monthly Check-In Detail screen, which will show you the complete monthly check-in.
From the home screen, tap Progress, and tap Pain Diary Graph. Tap the blank Start Date field, and a pop-up calendar will appear. Tap the date you would like as the start date to view up to a month range of pain diary entries. Tap Go, and you will see the monthly average for your pain rating, enjoyment interference, general activity interference, pain intensity, pain interference, sleep quality and depression. You will also see your overall status rating (Better or Worse) and the date of the last overall status rating. Tap on a graph for a pop-up box with a larger view of the graph.
The Pain Coach App has several tools to help you handle your pain. To access the pain tools, from the home screen, tap Pain Toolbox. You will see a list of available tools. Tap the tool you would like to use:
- Activity Pacing – Plans to structure activity and take timed breaks to preempt pain.
- Deep Breathing – A seven-minute directed exercise video to steady your breathing and calm you.
- Manage Thoughts – Identify thoughts that may be interfering with how you manage your pain and create helpful thoughts.
- Muscle Relaxation – A nine-minute directed muscle relaxation exercise.
- Plan a Pleasant Activity – Ideas for beginning activities you have stopped because of your pain or for trying new activities.
- Sleep Tips – View a sleep tip for how to have a more restful night.
- Visualization – A four-minute directed exercise in which you picture pleasant images.
Find educational resources about pain and how to manage it. From the home screen, tap Learn, and tap one of the three categories of information:
- What is Chronic Pain? – Definitions, tips and resources about types and impact of pain for Veterans and Caregivers.
- Things that Affect Pain – Examples of how pain may impact activity, health, mood, relationships and thoughts and tips for setting goals and staying motivated.
- Caregiver Information – Guidance on how to best partner with a Veteran experiencing pain, as well as tips and resources.
No. VA created the VA Launchpad to house all mobile apps that connect to VA’s electronic health record. By signing into the VA Launchpad once, you can access multiple apps from one location—without having to log into each one individually.
Additional information about other available VA apps can be found on mobile.va.gov/appstore as well as mobile.va.gov.
More resources, such as a User Manual, Quick Start Guide and Slideshow can be found on mobile.va.gov/appstore, and search for the app to access the resources.
If you need assistance with the Pain Coach App, dial 1-877-470-5947 to speak with a VA representative. The Help Desk is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT. For TTY assistance, dial 711. For clinical questions regarding your personal medical information, please contact your VA care team.
If you feel your information may have been compromised, contact your local VA facility to get contact information for your Privacy Officer. To locate your local VA facility, visit VA’s Facility Locator: http://www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isflash=1. NOTE: You should never use this app in an emergency. If you encounter an emergency, call your local medical center or dial 911 immediately.
If you have questions about your DS Logon account, visit mobile.va.gov/dslogon or dial 1-800-983-0937 for assistance.
If you have questions about your ID.me account, visit www.id.me/about.
If you have questions about your My HealtheVet Account, visit https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/user-login or dial 1-877-327-0022 for assistance.
If you need assistance with the Pain Coach App, dial 1-877-470-5947 to speak with a VA representative. The Help Desk is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT. For TTY assistance, dial 711. For clinical questions regarding your personal medical information, please contact your VA care team.
If you feel your information may have been compromised, contact your local VA facility to get contact information for your Privacy Officer. To locate your local VA facility, visit VA’s Facility Locator: http://www.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp?isflash=1. NOTE: You should never use this app in an emergency. If you encounter an emergency, call your local medical center or dial 911 immediately.
If you have questions about your DS Logon account, visit mobile.va.gov/dslogon or dial 1-800-983-0937 for assistance.
If you have questions about your ID.me account, visit www.id.me/about.
If you have questions about your My HealtheVet Account, visit https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/user-login or dial 1-877-327-0022 for assistance.
