NCT00179491

Brief Summary

Intercessory prayer is widely believed to influence recovery from illness, but claims of benefits are not supported by well-controlled clinical trials. Prior studies have not addressed whether prayer itself or knowledge/certainty that prayer is being provided may influence outcome. We evaluated whether (1) receiving intercessory prayer or (2) being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

Trial Health

100
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
1,802

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_3

Timeline
Completed

Started Apr 1998

Typical duration for phase_3

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 1, 1998

Completed
3.6 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

November 1, 2001

Completed
3.9 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

September 13, 2005

Completed
3 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

September 16, 2005

Completed
Last Updated

November 5, 2007

Status Verified

November 1, 2007

First QC Date

September 13, 2005

Last Update Submit

November 2, 2007

Conditions

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Surgery

Keywords

coronary artery bypass grafting surgery

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Whether receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

    30 days

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Whether being certain of receiving intercessory prayer was associated with uncomplicated recovery after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.

    30 days

Study Arms (3)

Group 1

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

604 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayers (Group 1)

Behavioral: Intercessory Prayer

2

NO INTERVENTION

597 patients did not receive prayer after being informed they may or may not receive prayer (Group 2)

Group 3

EXPERIMENTAL

601 patients received intercessory prayer after being informed they would receive it (Group 3).

Behavioral: Intercessory Prayer

Interventions

Intercessory PrayerBEHAVIORAL

14 days of intercessory prayer from 3 sites

Group 1Group 3

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Age 18 years or older
  • Able to read or understand English

You may not qualify if:

  • Scheduled for emergent CABG (next available operating room slot)
  • CABG more than 14 days after enrollment
  • Other planned surgery within 30 days of CABG
  • Minimally invasive CABG (non full sternotomy incisions)
  • CABG with planned valve replacement, stent, angioplasty or carotid endarterectomy
  • Or had ongoing chest pain or unstable angina, as defined by their physicians

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Officials

  • Herbert Benson, MD

    Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mind/Body Medical Institute

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 3
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2005

First Posted

September 16, 2005

Study Start

April 1, 1998

Study Completion

November 1, 2001

Last Updated

November 5, 2007

Record last verified: 2007-11