CAM-Pain
Co-designing Pain Navigator
Supporting Keele University’s NIHR-funded CAM-Pain programme with a digital resource for children and young people living with musculoskeletal pain.
Bitjam worked with Keele University and a community of practice to co-design and develop Pain Navigator, a digital resource created as part of the NIHR-funded CAM-Pain programme.
About the project
The CAM-Pain programme is focused on improving understanding and support for children and young people living with musculoskeletal pain.
Led by a team of academics at Keele University, the project has involved research, clinical insight and direct work with children and young people to understand what support they need and how that support should be presented.
Pain Navigator is now live and being shared more widely.
Pain Navigator has been developed in co-production with young people, with children’s focus groups helping to shape the content, tone, design and overall direction of the resource.
This was a key part of the project, ensuring the final tool was not based on assumptions, but on the needs, experiences and voices of the young people it is designed to support.
The resource is now available for young people, families, clinicians, researchers and wider healthcare audiences.
Visit painnavigator.co.ukOur co-design approach
At Bitjam, we do not simply take a brief and build in isolation. Our approach is based on working closely with clients, users and stakeholders to shape digital tools that are useful, accessible and grounded in real need.
For Pain Navigator, this meant working alongside Keele University’s academic team to translate research insight, clinical knowledge and feedback from young people into a clear, engaging and practical digital resource.
Research and clinical insight
Keele University brought the research expertise, clinical understanding and direct insight from work with children and young people.
Shaping the resource
Young people helped shape the content, tone, design and direction through focus groups and feedback.
Digital health delivery
Bitjam brought digital strategy, user experience, content structure, design and development expertise.
Clear, supportive and useful
Together, this helped shape a resource that is evidence-based, age-appropriate and easy to navigate.
Turning complex research, content and feedback into a live digital tool.
Our role was not just to build a website, but to help turn complex research, content and user feedback into a live digital tool that feels clear, supportive and meaningful for young people and the people around them.
Co-produced with young people
A key part of Pain Navigator is that it has been developed in co-production with young people.
Through Keele University’s work with children and young people, including focus groups, the project team gathered feedback on what young people wanted from the resource and how it should look, feel and work.
Designed around what young people actually need.
Their feedback helped guide important decisions around content, language, structure, tone and design. It helped ensure Pain Navigator feels approachable and supportive, rather than overly clinical or difficult to understand.
This co-production approach helped make sure Pain Navigator reflected lived experience, while still being grounded in research and clinical expertise.
What Pain Navigator offers
Pain Navigator gives young people a place to explore information about pain in a way that feels clear, friendly and supportive.
Making pain easier to understand
Helping young people understand pain and what can influence it.
Practical support
Practical information to support pain management outside clinical appointments.
What happens next
Helping young people understand what may happen after speaking with a healthcare professional.
Confidence over time
Supporting treatment, ongoing pain management and confidence over time.
A resource designed to help young people feel more informed and in control.
- Understand pain and what can influence it
- Learn ways to manage pain at home
- Understand what may happen after a consultation
- Explore treatment and ongoing pain management
- Feel more informed, supported and in control
The tone, structure and design were carefully considered so that the resource feels reassuring and age-appropriate, while still being grounded in evidence and research.
Why this matters
For young people living with persistent pain, clear and accessible information can make a real difference.
Pain Navigator gives young people and families a trusted place to start, helping them understand pain, explore practical support and feel more confident in conversations with healthcare professionals.
Built around what young people actually need.
By involving young people in the development process, the resource has been shaped around what they actually need, not just what adults assume they need.
A project shaped through genuine collaboration
Pain Navigator reflects the way we believe digital tools should be developed: through genuine collaboration, careful listening and practical design.
By combining Keele University’s academic expertise, clinical insight and work with young people with Bitjam’s digital health design and development skills, we have helped create a resource that has the potential to make a meaningful difference for children and young people living with pain.
Evidence-based, co-produced and focused on real-world impact.
Pain Navigator is a strong example of the kind of digital health work Bitjam supports: evidence-based, co-produced and focused on real-world impact.
We are pleased that the project has been so well received and look forward to supporting Keele University as Pain Navigator is shared more widely.
Need a digital partner for a co-designed health resource?
Bitjam helps universities, research teams and healthcare partners turn evidence, lived experience and clinical insight into digital tools that are useful, accessible and ready for real-world impact.