Integrative Pain Lab · University of Haifa

PainDA — Digital Research Platform

Understanding Pain and Mental Health in Everyday Life

PainDA combines brief daily questionnaires with wearable sensor data to help researchers understand how pain, mood, sleep, stress, and physiological processes change over time in real-world settings.

Learn About the Study

About PainDA

PainDA is a digital research platform developed by the Integrative Pain Lab at the University of Haifa. It supports scientific research on chronic pain, mental health, and their day-to-day interactions using modern digital health technologies.

The platform combines brief daily questionnaires with wearable sensor data. It is intended exclusively for participants enrolled in approved University of Haifa research studies.

About the Study

The current PainDA study investigates the relationship between chronic pain and common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Participants complete brief ecological momentary assessment (EMA) questionnaires throughout the day while securely sharing selected health information from their wearable device through Google Health Connect.

By combining self-reported experiences with physiological measurements, the study aims to improve scientific understanding of pain and mental health in everyday life.

What Information Is Collected?

Depending on the approved research protocol and the permissions granted by participants, PainDA may collect:

Participant-reported information

Daily pain ratings
Mood
Stress
Anxiety
Daily questionnaires
Baseline and follow-up questionnaires
Digital body maps
Optional written responses

Health information (via Google Health Connect)

Heart rate
Resting heart rate
Heart rate variability (HRV)
Sleep sessions and sleep stages
Physical activity
Exercise sessions
Step count
Distance traveled
Calories burned
Respiratory rate
Blood oxygen saturation (SpO₂)
Skin temperature
Additional health metrics required by the approved research protocol

Only the minimum information necessary for the approved scientific study is collected.

Privacy and Data Protection

Protecting participant privacy is a core principle of the PainDA research platform. Information collected through PainDA is:

Used exclusively for approved scientific research conducted by the University of Haifa.
Never sold.
Never used for advertising or marketing.
Accessible only to authorized members of the research team.
Stored using secure cloud infrastructure.

Participants may withdraw from the study at any time. Additional information about data collection, storage, and participant rights is available in the Privacy Policy.

Contact

For questions regarding the PainDA study, participant rights, or data privacy, please contact:

Integrative Pain Lab, University of Haifa

ipain@research.haifa.ac.il

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can use PainDA?

PainDA is available only to participants enrolled in approved University of Haifa research studies.

Can I use PainDA without participating in a study?

No. The application is intended exclusively for research participants.

Can I withdraw from the study?

Yes. Participation is entirely voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time.

How is my information protected?

Research data are stored securely and are accessible only to authorized members of the research team. Information is never used for advertising or commercial purposes.