Testing a Brief Reassurance Message Before a Musculoskeletal Clinic Visit

NCT07330492 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STUDY00004831.3
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 144
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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:
• Read a short, easy-to-understand message about musculoskeletal symptoms and options for care (for those in the intervention group)
• Complete a brief questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, or surgery
• Have their scheduled follow-up care recorded after the clinic visit

Conditions

Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal Condition

Keywords

Musculoskeletal; Osteoarthritis; Nudge intervention; Behavioural intervention; Patient education; Healthcare utilization; Shared decision making; Reassurance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 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.

  Immediately after intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Actual scheduled follow-up care

  Immediately following clinic visit

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Arm (Nudge / Reassurance Message)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomized to the intervention group will read a brief, easy-to-understand message (generated by a Large Language Model) before their musculoskeletal clinic visit. The message explains that many musculoskeletal symptoms are common, often related to normal body changes, and can improve with simple self-care. It emphasizes that visits, tests, injections, and treatments are often optional, and patients can decide how much care they wish to pursue. After reading the message, participants will complete a short questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, and surgery. Clinicians providing care will be blinded to participants' group assignment.

Behavioral: Nudge intervention

Control arm (Usual Care)

NO INTERVENTION

Participants randomized to the control group will receive usual care prior to their musculoskeletal clinic visit, without any pre-visit reassurance message. They will complete the same questionnaire rating their interest in follow-up visits, tests, injections, and surgery. Clinicians providing care will be blinded to participants' group assignment.

Interventions

Nudge intervention BEHAVIORAL

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.

Also known as: Reassurance message

Intervention Arm (Nudge / Reassurance Message)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• Cognitive or other impairment precluding completion of a survey on a tablet
• Acute traumatic pathophysiology (fracture, dislocation, sprain/strain)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Texas at Austin: lead

Study Sites (1)

Musculoskeletal Institute, UT Health Austin

Austin, Texas, 78712, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Osteoarthritis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases

Central Study Contacts

David Ring, MD, PhD

CONTACT

(833) 882-2737; david.ring@austin.utexas.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: CARE PROVIDER
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Dean for Comprehensive Care; Professor and Associate Chair for Faculty Academic Affairs, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care; Courtesy Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 15, 2025
• First Posted: January 9, 2026
• Study Start: January 1, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2026
• Last Updated: January 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)