New pain communication tool by patients for patients
8 September 2025
New pain communication tool by patients for patients
A new tool designed by patients to help patients like themselves communicate the daily realities and challenges of living with chronic pain has been 15 months in the making – and now, Dragon Claw Charity, Painaustralia, and Pain Education and Management are inviting consumers, clinicians, health professionals, and the wider community to help shape its final form.
The My Pain assessment Communication Tool (MPaCT) has been co-designed with consumers at every stage, drawing on the lived experiences of people in Australia, Canada, and the U.S.A. Unlike traditional pain scales, MPaCT captures not only where pain is felt, but how it affects daily life, providing a more complete picture to guide treatment and care.
“As a consumer-led organisation, we know first-hand how challenging it can be to describe chronic pain,” said Dragon Claw Charity’s Director Dr. Charmaine Jones.
“Clear communication is the foundation of good healthcare and finding the appropriate words and being able to describe your pain to your GP or health professional can at times be difficult. MPaCT not only supports people living with pain to express their experience but can help their health professional understand how it is actually impacting their lives so they can get the care they actually need.”
“Chronic pain is invisible and difficult to explain, yet it affects every aspect of life,” said Painaustralia CEO Monika Boogs.
“This tool has been built with consumers who have been central to this project from day one and now we’re asking the wider community and clinicians to help us refine it further by using MPaCT when they visit their health professional and provide us feedback on its usefulness and if it meets their needs via our survey.”
“Too often, people living with pain feel unheard. MPaCT gives them a stronger voice, helping patients clearly express their needs to healthcare professionals,” said Dean Minchington, Director of Pain Education and Management.
Kim Allgood is a consumer who lives with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and other persistent pain conditions and has been one of the patients who have helped to design the MPaCT tool.
"We all know the importance of communicating our pain to our medical team. Now we will have a tool that makes it possible,” she said.
MPaCT is available as a free, interactive PDF that can be downloaded, personalised, and taken to healthcare appointments. People living with pain, their carers, and healthcare providers are encouraged to try the tool and share their experience through a short online survey.
You can download the MPaCT tool and provide feedback about its usefulness at:
Consumers: https://www.jotform.com/app/252190992023859
Clinicians and health professionals: https://www.jotform.com/app/252220177270852
About Painaustralia
Painaustralia is Australia’s leading pain advocacy body working to support and improve the lives of the 3.6 million people who live with chronic pain.
About Dragon Claw Charity
Dragon Claw offers weekly online support meetings and trusted information for people living with autoimmune conditions and their caregivers.
About Pain Education and Management
Pain Education and Management offers innovative, award-winning, community-focused solutions that bring clinicians together in a multidisciplinary team, delivering accessible pain management closer to home.
Media Contacts.
Dragon Claw Charity: Susan Hughes 0421 459 747
Painaustralia: Monika Boogs 0419 423 603.
PEM: Dean Minchington 0447 324 228