Fidget toys tested as anxiety relief for kids facing surgery
NCT ID NCT07270029
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study is testing whether giving children a sensory toy (like a spinner or putty) before surgery can reduce their anxiety. About 500 children aged 5 to 15 will be randomly assigned to receive a toy or standard care. Their anxiety levels will be measured at key points before and during surgery to see if the toys make a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- sensory toy (fidget toy)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give hospitals a simple, drug-free way to help children feel calmer before surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with no blinding, so results may be influenced by placebo effects. The research behind sensory toys is still inconclusive.
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 500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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 15 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: * Children aged 5-15.99 years of age * Children admitted to the day of surgery unit undergoing elective surgery at Perth Children's Hospital or Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP as day case surgeries or with a maximum hospital stay of one night postoperatively Exclusion Criteria: * Children coming for surgery via wards other than the day of surgery unit * Language barriers impeding data collection * Department for Child Protection and Family Support is involved in the care of the child * Inability for the child to interact with the sensory toy safely, such as children with severe global developmental delay (GDD).
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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
2 sites in 2 countries. 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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Hospital das Clinicas
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGSão Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Perth Children's Hospital
RECRUITINGPerth, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Your own playlist might calm nerves before surgery, study says