Text-message support and health information for people with spinal cord injury
Official title: Reaching Persons With Spinal Cord Injury With Important Health Information Through a Text-messaging Intervention: Adaptation and Pilot Study
Run by Washington University School of Medicine · NCT07386522 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 40 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Washington University School of Medicine Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (St Louis, Missouri) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | February 5, 2026 |
| Main results expected | October 30, 2026 |
| Study ends | October 30, 2026 |
| Registry record updated | March 11, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07386522 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a 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.
✕Probably 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.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
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.
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 gone: 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.
Who can join: the full rules
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 it's running
-
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
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.