Positive words may ease Kids' fear during anesthesia
NCT ID NCT06324955
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether using positive language (like 'blow out the birthday candles') instead of standard language during anesthesia induction reduces anxiety and negative behaviors in children aged 5-10. 128 healthy children having non-emergency surgery will be randomly assigned to hear either positive or standard language from their anesthesiologist. Researchers will measure how well children cooperate and how long induction takes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- positive language
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could show that simple changes in how doctors talk to children can make anesthesia induction less scary and reduce negative behaviors.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 128 children. The effect may be small or not apply to all children, and results may not change standard practice.
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 128 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Expected to finish
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Apr 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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5 to 10 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * ASA 1 and 2 (Healthy Patients) * Non-emergent cases * 5-10 year olds * Patients receiving inhalational induction Exclusion Criteria: * Non-English speaking * History of prior inhalational inductions * Hearing difficulty * Behavioral difficulty (Autism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder) * Patients receiving premedication other than midazolam
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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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Boston Children's Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Your sleep pattern may predict Post-Surgery confusion risk
- Could a single injection stop post-surgery delirium in children?
- Tablets vs. tantrums: could a video call with parents prevent post-surgery delirium in toddlers?