Can a short digital lesson calm surgery fears and ease Kids' pain?
NCT ID NCT07812961
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Children scheduled for major orthopedic surgery and their parents often want clearer, easier-to-reach information about what to expect and how to handle pain. Researchers are testing a short digital program that families use once, with separate versions for the child and the parent. The program covers pain education, hospital and anesthesia basics, coping tips, and supportive stories from past patients and caregivers. This small pilot asks whether families actually use the program and find it useful, engaging, and complete.
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 single-session psychoeducational program for children and parents around surgery
- What this could lead to
- If families find it useful, this format could become an easy, low-cost way to prepare children and parents for surgery and recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a tiny pilot with 12 families, so it cannot prove the program reduces pain or anxiety. It may turn out to be hard to use, unhelpful, or not fit other hospitals or languages.
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.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 12 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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.
- Ages
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8 to 18 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * the patient is between 8 and 18 years of age; * the patient has a scheduled orthopedic surgery requiring inpatient care for at least one night at one of the participating hospitals; * the patient and at least one parent/caregiver are able to read and understand German; * both the patient and the parent/caregiver agree to participate in the study and to test the digital single-session intervention. Exclusion Criteria: * the patient has a serious comorbid medical condition that may substantially affect perioperative recovery or study participation (e.g., cancer, severe neurological impairment, chronic illness requiring daily medication); * the patient has undergone previous major orthopedic surgery (e.g., prior spine surgery); * the patient or caregiver is unable to follow study procedures due to cognitive, psychological, or language-related difficulties; * either the patient or one of the parents/caregivers declines participation in the study or declines testing of the intervention.
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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University Children's Hospital Zurich
Zurich, 8008, Switzerland