Testing a Brief Reassurance Message Before a Musculoskeletal Clinic Visit

NCT ID: NCT07330492

Last Updated: 2026-01-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 144 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-01-01
• Study Completion Date: 2026-07-31

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a brief, reassuring pre-visit message affects patients' expectations and planned follow-up care in adults with common musculoskeletal conditions. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does reading a brief reassurance message before a clinic visit change how interested patients are in additional care, such as follow-up visits, tests, injections, or surgery?
• Does the message affect whether patients actually schedule follow-up care after the visit?

Researchers will compare participants who receive the pre-visit reassurance message to those who receive usual care to see if the message changes patients' enthusiasm for care or their follow-up decisions.

Participants will:

1. Read a short, easy-to-understand message about musculoskeletal symptoms and options for care (for those in the intervention group)

2. Complete a brief questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, or surgery

3. Have their scheduled follow-up care recorded after the clinic visit

Conditions

Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal Condition

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Intervention Arm (Nudge / Reassurance Message)

Participants randomized to the intervention group will read a brief, easy-to-understand message (generated by a Large Language Model) before their musculoskeletal clinic visit. The message explains that many musculoskeletal symptoms are common, often related to normal body changes, and can improve with simple self-care. It emphasizes that visits, tests, injections, and treatments are often optional, and patients can decide how much care they wish to pursue. After reading the message, participants will complete a short questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, and surgery. Clinicians providing care will be blinded to participants' group assignment.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Nudge intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The intervention involves reading a brief, easy-to-understand message prior to a musculoskeletal clinic visit. The message explains that many musculoskeletal symptoms are common, often related to normal age-related changes, and can improve with simple self-care. It emphasizes that visits, tests, injections, and treatments are often optional, and patients can choose how much care to pursue.

Control arm (Usual Care)

Participants randomized to the control group will receive usual care prior to their musculoskeletal clinic visit, without any pre-visit reassurance message. They will complete the same questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, and surgery. Clinicians providing care will be blinded to participants' group assignment.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Nudge intervention

The intervention involves reading a brief, easy-to-understand message prior to a musculoskeletal clinic visit. The message explains that many musculoskeletal symptoms are common, often related to normal age-related changes, and can improve with simple self-care. It emphasizes that visits, tests, injections, and treatments are often optional, and patients can choose how much care to pursue.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Reassurance message

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Adult (18+ years)
• English or Spanish language literacy
• Seeking musculoskeletal specialty care
• Diagnosed with any non-traumatic musculoskeletal condition
• New or return patient to clinic

Exclusion Criteria

• Cognitive or other impairment precluding completion of a survey on a tablet
• Acute traumatic pathophysiology (fracture, dislocation, sprain/strain)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Texas at Austin

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

David Ring

Associate Dean for Comprehensive Care; Professor and Associate Chair for Faculty Academic Affairs, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care; Courtesy Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Musculoskeletal Institute, UT Health Austin

Austin, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

David Ring, MD, PhD

Role: CONTACT

david.ring@austin.utexas.edu

(833) 882-2737

Facility Contacts

David Ring, MD, PhD

Role: primary

david.ring@austin.utexas.edu

(833) 882-2737

Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

STUDY00004831.3

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id