Social worker support for adults recovering from surgical fractures
Social Worker Presence in Outpatient Fracture Clinics: A Batched Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial
This trial will test whether having a social worker in the fracture clinic helps adults who had surgery for arm or leg fractures avoid emergency visits and improve recovery.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 2000 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | McMaster University Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (San Francisco, California and 1 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT06973655 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This interventional trial will enroll about 2,000 adults with surgically managed appendicular fractures to receive embedded social work support in the fracture clinic. The intervention offers linkage to resources for mental health, housing, finances, addiction, and other social needs alongside routine orthopaedic care. Outcomes include return visits to emergency or urgent care and measures of recovery and social stability over the follow-up period. The trial is being run at multiple sites in Canada and the United States with standardized inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults 18 or older with a surgically treated appendicular fracture within the past 12 weeks who can provide informed consent and attend participating clinic visits are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who are incarcerated, have an expected survival under six months, cannot participate in the languages offered, have nonoperative fractures, or whose fracture occurred more than 12 weeks ago are unlikely to receive benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients may have fewer emergency or urgent care visits, better mental health and social support, and a smoother functional recovery.
How similar studies have performed: Related programs that place social workers or case managers in clinical settings have shown reductions in emergency visits and improvements in social outcomes, but robust randomized evidence specifically in orthopaedic fracture clinics is limited.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
The inclusion criteria are: 1. Aged 18 or older. 2. Has fracture of the appendicular skeleton 3. Fracture required surgical management. 4. Fracture occurred within the past 12 weeks. 3\. Willing to comply with the protocol. 4. Willing to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Incarceration. 2. Expected injury survival of less than 6 months. 3. Terminal illness with expected survival of less than 6 months. 4. Currently enrolled in a trial that does not permit co-enrollment. 5. Unable to engage in protocol in the languages available in the local cluster. 6. Prior enrollment in the trial. 7. Declined to provide informed consent. 8. Not approached at (or prior to) the first post-surgery fracture clinic visit (missed participant). 9. Other reason to exclude the patient, as approved by the Methods Centre.
Where this trial is running
San Francisco, California and 1 other locations
- Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Centre — San Francisco, California, United States (Recruiting)
- Hamilton Health Sciences - Hamilton General Hospital — Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (Not_yet_recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Paula McKay, BSc
- Email: mckayp@mcmaster.ca
- Phone: 1-289-237-0791
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.