Can a smartphone app and a coach help young sickle cell patients hurt less?

NCT ID NCT06374238

Recruiting now Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether a digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program, with or without a peer health coach, can reduce pain and opioid use in 470 teens and young adults (ages 16–30) with sickle cell disease and chronic pain. Participants use an app to track pain and mood, and some get weekly calls from a trained peer coach. The goal is to see if these tools improve pain intensity and daily functioning compared to usual care.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: digital cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with or without a peer health coach
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a practical, non-drug way to manage chronic pain and reduce opioid use for young people with sickle cell disease.
What could go wrong: This is a behavioral intervention study, not a drug trial, so benefits may be modest. Results depend on participants sticking with the app and coaching, which can be challenging.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

agnosia Pain sickle cell disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

PAIN SICKLE CELL DISEASE

Contacts and locations

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Study contacts

Contact

Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
RECRUITING

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
RECRUITING

Atlanta, Georgia, 30345, United States
Connecticut Children's Medical Center
RECRUITING

Hartford, Connecticut, 06106, United States
East Carolina University Health Medical Center
RECRUITING

Greenville, North Carolina, 27834, United States
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
RECRUITING

Newark, New Jersey, 07103, United States
The Regents of the University of Michigan
RECRUITING

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1079, United States
UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital Ronald Reagan Hospital
RECRUITING

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
RECRUITING

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15224, United States
UPMC University of Pittsburgh Classical Hematology Adult Clinic
RECRUITING

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15213, United States

Contact Email: •••••@•••••
University of Rochester Medical Center
RECRUITING

Rochester, New York, 14642, United States
University of South Alabama Medical Center
RECRUITING

Mobile, Alabama, 36617, United States
Virginia Commonwealth University
RECRUITING

Richmond, Virginia, 23284, United States
Wake Forest Baptist Hospital
RECRUITING

Durham, North Carolina, 27106, United States
Weil Cornell Medical College
RECRUITING

New York, New York, 10065, United States

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