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| Susanne Main PhD candidate, Faculty of Health & Social Care, The Open University, UK Exhibiting Pain: Creatively Surfing the Pain Wave Introduction: The nature of pain, as invisible and subjective, is known to make it difficult to communicate. This study uses creative representations (e.g. visual art, poetry, sound) of the persistent pain experience to examine how these are interpreted by different audiences, in online exhibitions. Audience members are encouraged to respond to the pieces, sharing their interpretations and thoughts with one another, including the creators of the works.
Aims: Overall, the aim is to gain insight into how understandings of persistent physical pain are constructed through the viewing of creative representations. Also, their potential for aiding patients’ communication of their experiences, with health care professionals as well as family and friends, will be examined.
Methods: Creative representations of persistent pain are being exhibited on two online social media platforms. Audiences (recruited through promotion of the exhibitions via social media, relevant organisations and word-of-mouth) share their interpretations and responses to the pieces in online comments (or private email); ongoing analysis of data is occurring for the duration of the exhibitions.
Results: Analysis of the responses highlights the symbols and signs (semiotics) that are used by different audience demographics to construct particular interpretations. Keyword analysis is also being carried out on both exhibition text labels and audience interpretations; this is being cross-referenced with pain word descriptors to identify any crossovers. It is possible that this may highlight other terms that are more commonly used or have a greater shared understanding for patient and healthcare professional. This has the potential to aid a clearer communication of the patient’s experience of their persistent pain.
Conclusions: The symbols found meaningful to different audience demographics provide some insight into their understandings of, and responses to, persistent pain. This highlights potential ways to improve communication and increase the likelihood of individualised management of persistent pain.
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