Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nudge Intervention for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrollment
- 144
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care
Study Overview
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:
- Read a short, easy-to-understand message about musculoskeletal symptoms and options for care (for those in the intervention group)
- Complete a brief questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, or surgery
- Have their scheduled follow-up care recorded after the clinic visit
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Health Services Research
- Masking
- Single (Care Provider)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
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)
Arms & Interventions
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.
Intervention: Nudge intervention (Behavioral)
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.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care
Time Frame: Immediately after intervention
The primary outcome is pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care, measured as participants' self-reported interest in pursuing a return visit, diagnostic tests, physical therapy, injections, or surgery. Participants rate each item on a 0-10 scale, where 0 indicates "not at all interested" and 10 indicates "definitely want it." This outcome is assessed immediately after the intervention (or usual care) and before the clinic visit.
Secondary Outcomes
- Actual scheduled follow-up care(Immediately following clinic visit)
Investigators
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
University of Texas at Austin