A smartphone form may spot hidden post-surgery pain
NCT ID NCT07794267
First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
After surgery, patients leave the recovery room and go to a regular ward, where symptoms like pain or nausea can go unnoticed. This pilot study tests whether an online form, sent to patients' phones via WhatsApp, can help doctors track pain and recovery in the first 12 and 24 hours after surgery. Adults having elective surgery will answer a short set of questions about pain, nausea, medications, and how they are recovering. The main goal is to see whether patients are willing and able to use the form, and whether it is a practical follow-up tool.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A digital web-based postoperative follow-up form, an 18-item online questionnaire accessed via a WhatsApp link, used to collect patient-reported data on pain, nausea, medication use, functional recovery, and satisfaction at 12 and 24 hours after discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit.
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way for hospitals to monitor patients remotely after surgery, catching pain or nausea that might otherwise go unnoticed.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study focused on feasibility, not on improving health outcomes. Patients may not complete the form, and the results may not apply to those without smartphone access or with complex recoveries.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
About 213 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Adult patients undergoing elective surgery not intended for postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) admission, consecutively enrolled at a single tertiary public hospital in the Federal District, Brazil. Patients are approached during the pre-anesthetic evaluation and, if eligible and willing to participate, are followed remotely via a digital form during the first 24 hours after discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years * Undergoing elective surgery with anticipated discharge from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) to the ward * Access to a smartphone with internet connection (personally, or through an accompanying caregiver) * Cognitive capacity to respond to the digital form, or availability of a caregiver to respond on the patient's behalf * Signed Informed Consent Form Exclusion Criteria: * Anticipated postoperative admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) * Inability to communicate, with no caregiver available to assist * Refusal to participate or to use the digital tool * No access to a mobile device/internet during the first 24 postoperative hours, with no logistical alternative available * Clinical condition that, at the discretion of the assisting team, contraindicates participation
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Pain, postoperative are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal (Instituto de Gestão Estratégica de Saúde do Distrito Federal - IGESDF)
Brasília, Federal District, 70.335-902, Brazil
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Analgesic efficacy of rhomboid intercostal block compared with thoracic paravertebral block in adult patients undergoing breast cancer surgeries: a randomized controlled double-blinded study
- The effect of cold application on nausea and vomiting in the early postoperative period - randomized controlled study
- Propofol vs. inhaled anesthesia: which one spares your recovery?
- Could a stick of gum ease post-surgery nausea and get bowels moving again?
- Can big data reveal why some patients suffer after Weight-Loss surgery?
- Which nerve block eases hip replacement pain better?