PainChek makes Edmonton its North American HQ

EDMONTON – PainChek, an Australian health technology company specializing in AI-assisted pain assessment solutions, has officially established its Canadian headquarters in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, marking the company’s entry into the North American market.

PainChek developed the world’s first regulatory-cleared medical device that uses AI-driven facial recognition and smart automation to assess and score pain levels, particularly for non-verbal patients, like those living with dementia. This tool improves the quality of care, strengthens clinical decision-making, and supports caregivers in monitoring patients whose ability to self-report fluctuates over time.

With growing global demand and proven success in markets such as Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as more than 1,000 licenses already in place across Canada, PainChek selected the Edmonton region as its base for North American expansion. Canadian clients are already using PainChek seamlessly alongside existing clinical systems, including PointClickCare.

Edmonton-based clients include St. Michael’s Health Group and Sherwood Care, which have been using PainChek to assess and manage pain in long-term care residents since 2023.

Tatsiana Haidukevich, director, resident care at St. Michael’s Health Group, commented: “PainChek represents best practice, something we pride ourselves on at St. Michael’s. We’re committed to giving the best quality of care to our residents, and tools like PainChek help us to do this. Our nurses now feel better equipped, more empowered, and more thorough when conducting pain assessments.”

Kathy Fortunat, CEO at Sherwood Care, said: “PainChek has transformed care in our home. It not only enhances the quality of life for residents living with dementia or who are non-verbal, but it also improves the work experience for our staff. The app makes assessments quick, accurate, and simple—moving us away from paper-based systems to a tool that’s both efficient and easy to use.”

In addition, the recent expansion of the programs at Bethany Seniors and Perley Health have successfully demonstrated the value of PainChek. These programs highlighted improvements in clinical outcomes and ease of integration into existing workflows.

The region’s reputation as a hub for health innovation, along with its strengths in artificial intelligence, technology, and life sciences, made Edmonton the ideal location to anchor growth.

From its new headquarters, PainChek will establish partnerships across healthcare and research sectors, while scaling its operations to meet rising demand across North America – further reinforcing the Edmonton region’s position as a leader in digital health innovation.

“Establishing our North American headquarters in Edmonton represents a significant step in PainChek’s global growth strategy. With more than 1,000 licenses already deployed in Canada, we are well positioned to expand our presence in this important market. Edmonton’s strengths in health innovation and technology provide the ideal environment for scaling our innovative pain assessment solution and building partnerships that will drive long-term impact across the care sector,” said Philip Daffas (pictured), CEO and managing director, PainChek.