Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal ConditionNCT07330492
Testing a Brief Reassurance Message Before a Musculoskeletal Clinic Visit
A study testing Nudge intervention in people with Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal Condition, run by University of Texas at Austin at 1 site in United States.
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal Condition
- What is being tested?
- Nudge intervention
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion, Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 144 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 10 Jan 2026to 31 Jul 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- Cognitive or other impairment precluding completion of a survey on a tablet
- Acute traumatic pathophysiology (fracture, dislocation, sprain/strain)
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Musculoskeletal Institute, UT Health Austin
Austin, Texas, 78712
About this study
Official title: Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nudge Intervention for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions
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?
Read more
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
- Being tested
- Nudge intervention
- Keywords
- Musculoskeletal, Osteoarthritis, Nudge intervention, Behavioural intervention, Patient education, Healthcare utilization, Shared decision making, Reassurance
- Medical subject headings
- Osteoarthritis
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Nudge interventionBehavioural
Also called Reassurance message
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Receives: 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. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
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.
Measured: Immediately after intervention
Secondary outcomes (1)
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.
Measured: Immediately following clinic visit
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Jan 2026
- Study start10 Jan 2026
- Primary completion30 Apr 2026
- Study completion31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal ConditionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider
- Enrolment
- 144 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Texas at Austin
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, David Ring, University of Texas at Austin
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07330492
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00004831.3
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 15 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 9 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Randomized Controlled Trial of a Nudge Intervention for Common Musculoskeletal Conditions
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07330492
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00004831.3
- Keywords
- Musculoskeletal, Osteoarthritis, Nudge intervention, Behavioural intervention, Patient education, Healthcare utilization, Shared decision making, Reassurance
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 144 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Texas at AustinUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 9 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (care provider)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Arm (Nudge / Reassurance Message) | Experimental | Behavioral: Nudge interventionParticipants 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. |
| 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Cognitive or other impairment precluding completion of a survey on a tablet
- Acute traumatic pathophysiology (fracture, dislocation, sprain/strain)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Nudge interventionAlso: Reassurance messageThe 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. | Behavioural | Intervention Arm (Nudge / Reassurance Message) |
Primary outcome
Pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care
Time frame: Immediately after intervention
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.
1 secondary outcome
Actual scheduled follow-up care
Time frame: Immediately following clinic visit
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Nudge intervention in people with Any Non-traumatic Musculoskeletal Condition, run by University of Texas at Austin at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pre-visit enthusiasm for additional care (time frame: Immediately after intervention). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Jun 2026.