Toy dolls tame injection terror in preschoolers
NCT ID NCT07378995
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether playing with a therapeutic toy doll before getting a shot can reduce fear, anxiety, and pain in children aged 4-6. Half the kids will practice the injection steps on a doll first, while the other half get the shot as usual. Researchers will measure fear and anxiety using special scales to see if the play helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- therapeutic play with a toy doll
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help young children feel less scared and hurt during injections.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (80 children) at one hospital, so results may not apply everywhere. The effect may be small or not work for all kids.
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 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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4 to 6 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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 4-6 years, * Those who will receive intramuscular injections, * Those who have been prescribed Desefin flk 1x1 IM, * Children whose parents have given consent will be included in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Those experiencing pain, * Those with hearing problems and communication barriers, * Those with chronic illnesses, * Those with mental and physical disabilities, * Those who have taken analgesics within the last 6 hours, * Children who have previously been hospitalised will not be included in the study.
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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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Ataturk University Nursing of Faculty
RECRUITINGErzurum, Turkey (Türkiye)
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