Text-message support and health information for people with spinal cord injury
Reaching Persons With Spinal Cord Injury With Important Health Information Through a Text-messaging Intervention: Adaptation and Pilot Study
This pilot will test whether a 16-week program of supportive and condition-specific text messages can help adults with spinal cord injury better manage bowel/bladder issues, pain, pressure injuries, and mental health.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 40 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Washington University School of Medicine Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (St Louis, Missouri) |
| Trial ID | NCT07386522 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This pilot interventional program delivers a 16-week SMS self-management intervention focused on bowel/bladder management, pain, pressure injury prevention, and psychosocial health. Participants complete an initial assessment, receive scheduled text messages through their own smartphones, complete four brief check-ins during the program, and finish a post-intervention assessment. Participants are assigned to either a secondary health condition message group or a motivational text message group to compare feasibility and preliminary effects against a control approach. The project primarily examines feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the messaging approach for reducing the impact of secondary health conditions in community-dwelling adults with spinal cord injury.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults (18+) with a diagnosis of spinal cord injury at least three months after injury, living in the community, whose English is their primary language, who identify at least one bothersome secondary health condition and who can use their own smartphone for 16 weeks and attend study assessments.
Not a fit: People currently admitted to hospital or inpatient rehabilitation, those without access to a smartphone or who are not English-primary speakers, and those less than three months post-injury are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could reduce the burden of secondary health problems and improve everyday self-management for people living with spinal cord injury.
How similar studies have performed: SMS-based self-management programs have shown feasibility and modest benefits in other chronic conditions, but evidence specifically in spinal cord injury is limited, so this pilot is relatively novel for this population.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age or older * Diagnosis of SCI * At least 3 months from date of injury or illness * Identify at least one secondary health condition (pain, pressure injury, bladder/bowel dysfunction, and psychosocial distress) that impacts daily life * Live in the community * English as primary language * Ability and willingness to use their own smartphone to receive and respond to text messages for the 16-week study period * Ability and willingness to participate in two full assessments and an additional four check ins during the 16-week study period Exclusion Criteria: \- Current admission in a hospital or in-patient rehabilitation facility
Where this trial is running
St Louis, Missouri
- Washington University School of Medicine — St Louis, Missouri, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Kerri A Morgan, PhD — Washington University School of Medicine - Program in OT
- Study coordinator: Kerri A Morgan, PhD
- Email: morgank@wustl.edu
- Phone: 314-286-1659
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.