Reassurance Message for Musculoskeletal Disorders
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
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
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for adults with common musculoskeletal conditions who are considering various treatment options. It's not specified who can't join, but typically those with certain health issues or treatments that could affect the outcome may be excluded.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Brief Reassurance Message
Trial Overview
The study is testing if a reassuring message before seeing a doctor influences patients' interest in and decisions about follow-up care like more visits, tests, injections, or surgery compared to usual care without the message.
How Is the Trial Designed?
2
Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
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.
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.
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
University of Texas at Austin
Lead Sponsor
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