The use of machine learning algorithms for facial expression recognition and patient monitoring is a growing area of research interest. In this study, we present a technique for facial expression recognition based on deep learning algorithm: convolutional neural network (ConvNet). Data were collected from the FER2013 dataset that contains samples of seven universal facial expressions for training. The results show that the presented technique improves facial expression recognition accuracy without encoding several layers of CNN that lead to a computationally costly model. This study proffers solutions to the issues of high computational cost due to the implementation of facial expression recognition by providing a model close to the accuracy of the state‐of‐the‐art model. The study concludes that deep l\earning‐enabled facial expression recognition techniques enhance accuracy, better facial recognition, and interpretation of facial expressions and features that promote efficiency and prediction in the health sector.