Testing a Brief Reassurance Message Before a Musculoskeletal Clinic Visit

N/ANot Yet RecruitingNCT07330492

University of Texas at Austin144 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a brief, reassuring pre-visit message affects patients' expectations and planned follow-up care in adults with common musculoskeletal conditions. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does reading a brief reassurance message before a clinic visit change how interested patients are in additional care, such as follow-up visits, tests, injections, or surgery? * Does the message affect whether patients actually schedule follow-up care after the visit? Researchers will compare participants who receive the pre-visit reassurance message to those who receive usual care to see if the message changes patients' enthusiasm for care or their follow-up decisions. Participants will: 1. Read a short, easy-to-understand message about musculoskeletal symptoms and options for care (for those in the intervention group) 2. Complete a brief questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, or surgery 3. Have their scheduled follow-up care recorded after the clinic visit

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

144

Conditions

Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal Condition

Interventions

Nudge interventionBEHAVIORAL

The intervention involves reading a brief, easy-to-understand message prior to a musculoskeletal clinic visit. The message explains that many musculoskeletal symptoms are common, often related to normal age-related changes, and can improve with simple self-care. It emphasizes that visits, tests, injections, and treatments are often optional, and patients can choose how much care to pursue.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult (18+ years) * English or Spanish language literacy * Seeking musculoskeletal specialty care * Diagnosed with any non-traumatic musculoskeletal condition * New or return patient to clinic Exclusion Criteria: * Cognitive or other impairment precluding completion of a survey on a tablet * Acute traumatic pathophysiology (fracture, dislocation, sprain/strain)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care

The primary outcome is pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care, measured as participants' self-reported interest in pursuing a return visit, diagnostic tests, physical therapy, injections, or surgery. Participants rate each item on a 0-10 scale, where 0 indicates "not at all interested" and 10 indicates "definitely want it." This outcome is assessed immediately after the intervention (or usual care) and before the clinic visit.

Time frame: Immediately after intervention

Secondary Outcomes

Actual scheduled follow-up care

The secondary outcomes are actual scheduled follow-up care after the musculoskeletal clinic visit, including return visits, diagnostic tests, physical therapy, injections, and surgery. These outcomes are recorded as yes/no for each type of care and are collected from the patient's medical record after the visit.

Time frame: Immediately following clinic visit