Tapping away surgery jitters: new study tests emotional freedom techniques
NCT ID NCT07454044
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) — a simple tapping routine — can reduce anxiety and fear in people about to have thyroid surgery. Seventy adults will be randomly assigned to receive EFT plus standard nursing care or standard care alone. Researchers will measure changes in anxiety and fear using questionnaires before and after the intervention.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Emotional Freedom Technique (a behavioral intervention involving tapping on acupressure points while focusing on a fear or anxiety)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give patients a simple, drug-free way to feel calmer before thyroid surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (70 people) that hasn't started yet. The effect may be small or no better than standard care, and results may not apply to other surgeries or populations.
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 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
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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18 years and older
- 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: * Patients scheduled for thyroid surgery * Aged 18 years and older * Able to speak and understand Turkish * Literate (able to read and write) * No visual, hearing, or mental impairment * Able to communicate effectively * Preoperative anxiety and fear level of 3 or higher according to the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of a neurological disorder * Diagnosed psychiatric disorder and current use of medication for this condition * Previous training related to coping with anxiety or fear * Previous participation in an energy therapy course * Presence of infection, wound, or scar at the tapping (touch) sites
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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.
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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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Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital
Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Could a flower extract replace sedatives for tooth extraction fear?
- Which kidney stone surgery causes more Pre-Op worry?
- Electric pulses, no needles: a new path to pain relief after thyroid surgery?
- Could a scent of lavender and orange calm nerves before surgery?