An image created for a project designed to assist patient-professional communication about facial pain has won first prize in an art competition held at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Pain Society.

The image was created by Deborah Padfield, University College London Hospitals' (UCLH) artist-in-residence and PhD student at the UCL Slade School, for the face2face project. The project is the result of collaboration between Ms Padfield and Professor Joanna Zakrzewska and facial and pain management patients and clinicians at UCLH Trust. Clinical health psychologist Dr Amanda C de C Williams provides psychological supervision.

face2face explores the influence that visual images can have on pain dialogue during medical consultations. Methods include co-creating images with patients, developing and using pain cards as a communication tool, running art workshops for patients and clinicians (in association with the National Portrait Gallery) and the creation of a film giving insight into having and treating facial pain.

So far, face2face has recruited 141 participants, brought the exhibition to 14,000 people and engaged 225 participants in discussion at events. The project aims to use the power of images to raise awareness of facial pain and its impact on people's lives.