O1‐11‐05: EFFECTS OF A DISTRACTION METHOD USING A SOCIAL ROBOT ON PAIN AND ANXIETY MANAGEMENT IN MAJOR NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDERS

About 50% of persons with advanced dementia (PwAD) experience regular pain. Despite this, pain is frequently under-treated in this population, which can lead to increased behavioral and psychological symptoms. Research on older adults supports the hypothesis that non-pharmacological interventions, using the distraction method, have a positive impact on pain modulation (eg music therapy, audiovisual stimuli). However, to date, there is little research on the impact of this method on acute pain in PwAD. Our study examined the effectiveness of the use of a social robot (PARO), as a distracting and pleasant stimulus, during painful care situations in PwAD. We conducted a crossover randomized controlled trial among 53 PwAD allocated to two groups. One group received a 3-weeks PARO-mediated intervention during painful care situations, followed by a 3-weeks control period not involving the robot. The second group received the same intervention conditions in the opposite order. A 1-week washout period was applied between the two intervention phases of the study. Behavioral manifestations of pain and anxiety were assessed using validated and standardized rating scales. Subjective workload of health professionals using PARO robot was evaluated with a questionnaire. Antalgics and anxiolytics were reported at baseline and at the end of each intervention phases. Behavioral manifestations of pain were significantly lower in the PARO-mediated intervention period compared to the control period (p<.0001). Results also showed a significant positive correlation between acute pain and anxiety in patients during painful care situations. There were no significant differences regarding analgesics and anxiolytics consummations between the robotic intervention and the control periods. Finally, health professionals reported significantly less effort (p<.05), frustration (p<.01) and mental demand (p<.01) when the robot was used. This study shows that the PARO robot is an effective intervention tool for pain management in PwAD and also highlights a significant link between pain and anxiety. It further supports the phenomenon of reduced pain experience whilst attention is distracted away from painful stimuli by a cognitive refocusing stimulus which is adapted for the target population.