Pain Management Support Group (PMSG) Platform

Version: 1.0
Launch Target: January 2026
Status: Development Phase

📋 Project Overview

The PMSG Platform is a comprehensive, data-driven system for delivering peer-supported chronic pain management education. This 8-week, in-person program combines:

Evidence-based education on pain neuroscience, medications, and alternatives
Peer support through structured group sessions
Movement practices (Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga)
Data collection (BPI, ODI, PHQ-8, PCS, PAM-10)
Machine learning analysis for program optimization

Program Format: - 4 sessions/week × 2.5 hours × 8 weeks = 80 contact hours - 12-16 participants per cohort - In-person delivery

🏗️ Architecture

pmsg-platform/
├── backend/          # FastAPI Python backend
├── frontend/         # React web application
├── database/         # PostgreSQL schemas and migrations
├── curriculum/       # 8-week educational content
├── research/         # Evidence base and literature
├── assessments/      # BPI, ODI, PHQ-8, PCS, PAM-10
├── data-analysis/    # Python/R ML pipelines
├── infrastructure/   # Docker, GCP, CI/CD
└── documentation/    # API docs, user guides

Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Frontend	React 18, Material-UI/Tailwind, Recharts
Backend	FastAPI (Python 3.10+), SQLAlchemy, Pydantic
Database	PostgreSQL 15+
Vector Stores	ChromaDB + Pinecone (comparative eval)
RAG	LangChain, OpenAI embeddings
ML/Analytics	scikit-learn, pandas, R (tidyverse, caret)
Cloud	Google Cloud Platform (primary), Azure (eval)
Containers	Docker, Docker Compose
CI/CD	GitHub Actions

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Python 3.10+
Node.js 18+
PostgreSQL 15+
Docker & Docker Compose
Git

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-org/pmsg-platform.git
cd pmsg-platform

Set up the backend:

cd backend
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Set up the database:

# Create PostgreSQL database
createdb pmsg_db

# Run schema
psql -d pmsg_db -f ../database/schemas/pmsg_schema.sql

Set up the frontend:

cd ../frontend
npm install

Configure environment variables:

# Backend
cp backend/.env.example backend/.env
# Edit backend/.env with your database credentials

# Frontend
cp frontend/.env.example frontend/.env

Run the application:

# Backend (from backend/)
uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

# Frontend (from frontend/)
npm start

Access the application at: - Frontend: http://localhost:3000 - Backend API: http://localhost:8000 - API Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs

📚 Documentation

Research Synthesis: Evidence base, existing programs, medication safety
Database Schema: Complete database design with ERD
API Documentation: FastAPI endpoint reference
Curriculum: 8-week educational content
User Guides: For participants and facilitators

🎓 Curriculum Overview

Week	Topic	Movement
1	Pain Fundamentals & Orientation	Gentle Movement
2	Nervous System & Pain Pathways	Tai Chi
3	Medications - Benefits & Risks	Qigong
4	Alternative Therapies	Yoga
5	Nutrition & Anti-Inflammatory Diet	Tai Chi
6	Musculoskeletal Health & Exercise	Mixed
7	Psychological Aspects of Pain	Qigong
8	Integration & Moving Forward	Participant Choice

📊 Assessments

Primary Outcomes: - BPI (Brief Pain Inventory): Pain severity and interference - ODI (Oswestry Disability Index): Functional disability

Secondary Outcomes: - PHQ-8: Depression screening - PCS: Pain Catastrophizing Scale - PAM-10: Patient Activation Measure

Timepoints: - Baseline (Week 0) - Weekly (Weeks 1-8) - Post-program (Week 8) - Follow-up (3, 6, 12 months)

🤖 Machine Learning Analysis

Objectives: 1. Predict program completion 2. Identify responder phenotypes 3. Optimize curriculum components 4. Forecast long-term outcomes

Methods: - Linear Regression - Random Forest - K-Means Clustering - Time Series Analysis

Tools: - Python: scikit-learn, pandas, matplotlib - R: tidyverse, caret, randomForest, ggplot2 - Jupyter Notebooks / R Markdown

🔐 Security & Compliance

HIPAA Compliance

✅ Encryption at rest (PostgreSQL, files)
✅ Encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
✅ Access controls (role-based)
✅ Audit logs (all PHI access)
✅ Secure authentication (JWT)
✅ Regular backups (encrypted)

Data Privacy

Informed consent required
Minimum necessary access
De-identification for research
Right to withdraw

🧪 Testing

# Backend unit tests
cd backend
pytest tests/ -v --cov=.

# Frontend tests
cd frontend
npm test

# End-to-end tests
npm run test:e2e

🚢 Deployment

Docker Deployment

# Build and run all services
docker-compose up -d

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Stop services
docker-compose down

GCP Deployment

# Authenticate
gcloud auth login

# Deploy backend to Cloud Run
gcloud run deploy pmsg-backend --source ./backend

# Deploy frontend to Cloud Storage + Cloud CDN
npm run build
gsutil -m rsync -r -d ./frontend/build gs://pmsg-frontend

📈 Project Timeline

Phase	Duration	Status
Phase 1: Foundation	Weeks 1-2 (Nov-Dec 2025)	🟢 In Progress
- Research & content development		✅ Complete
- Database schema design		✅ Complete
- Directory structure		✅ Complete
Phase 2: Core Development	Weeks 3-6 (Dec 2025)	🟡 Planned
- Backend API		🔵 Not Started
- Frontend UI		🔵 Not Started
- Curriculum content		🔵 Not Started
Phase 3: Integration & Testing	Weeks 7-8 (Late Dec 2025)	🔵 Not Started
Phase 4: Deployment & Pilot	Weeks 9-10 (Early Jan 2026)	🔵 Not Started
Phase 5: Program Launch	Mid-January 2026	🔵 Not Started

🤝 Contributing

This project is developed for a specific pilot program. For questions or collaboration:

Project Lead: Darrell (a.k.a Tadrrel) Hall
Email: [dah512@me.com] @example.com]
GitHub Issues: dah512/pmsg-platform/issues

📝 License

[license - MIT]

🙏 Acknowledgments

Research & Evidence Base: - U.S. Pain Foundation - American Chronic Pain Association - UK NHS Pain Management Programmes - Stanford Chronic Pain Self-Management Program

Clinical Advisory: - [List clinical advisors]

Funding: - [List funding sources]

📞 Support

For technical support: - Email: support@pmsg-platform.org - Documentation: https://docs.pmsg-platform.org - Issue Tracker: https://github.com/your-org/pmsg-platform/issues

For participant support: - Phone: 419-460-5695 - Email: support@pmsg-platform.org

📚 References

Farr M, et al. (2021). Experiences of Patient-Led Chronic Pain Peer Support Groups After Pain Management Programs. Pain Medicine, 22(12), 2884-2895.
Bhadhuri A, et al. (2022). Evaluation of a Peer Led Chronic Pain Self-Management Program in a Rural Population. Frontiers in Pain Research.
[Additional references in Research Synthesis document]

Last Updated: November 21, 2025
Version: 1.0
Status: Active Development