Effect of Surgical Planning Prompts on Elective Surgery Acceptance Rate

Sponsor
Tongji University
Study ID
NCT07544641
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

Notify me when recruiting opens

Save your spot on the interest list for this study. We'll keep your details with this study so our team can follow up when recruiting opens.

Not yet recruiting

Add your contact details and location so we can keep your interest tied to this study.

Conditions

  • Cataract

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Structured Surgical Planning Self-Reflection — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants are guided through an online structured writing exercise that prompts them to articulate the specific personal conditions under which they would choose to undergo elective cataract surgery. The prompt is embedded within an online questionnaire presented under the cover story of a comprehensive clinical assessment. It asks participants to think carefully and write down the specific conditions or circumstances under which they would feel confident and willing to accept the surgery, considering factors such as physical readiness, work, family, finances, timing, etc.

Study Details

This randomized, double-blind, controlled trial investigates whether prompting patients facing elective cataract surgery to articulate their specific conditions for choosing surgery (a structured self-reflection intervention commonly used in Shared Decision-Making) affects their subsequent decision to undergo the procedure. Eligible cataract patients who have been informed of surgical indications at an outpatient visit will be randomly assigned 1:1 to an intervention group (structured writing about personal conditions for accepting surgery) or a control group (no writing task). Both groups read the same standardized information about cataract diagnosis and treatment, and both complete the same set of follow-up questionnaire items. Three treating physicians independently rate their degree of surgical recommendation for each patient; these ratings along with baseline clinical measures are included as covariates in the analysis. The primary outcome is whether participants register for cataract surgery within 6 months of their initial outpatient consultation. Secondary outcomes include self-reported understanding of the condition, clarity of treatment plan, condition-related anxiety, perceived urgency, perceived helpfulness of the consultation, semantic analysis of written responses, and patient experience measures.

Key Dates

First listed
Apr 22, 2026
Start date
Apr 13, 2026
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Apr 30, 2027
Completion
Apr 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
268 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER

Arms

  • Experimental: Structured Self-Reflection (Intervention)
    Participants receive a structured prompt via an online questionnaire asking them to think carefully and write down the specific conditions or circumstances under which they would feel confident and willing to accept elective cataract surgery. For example: "When I can confirm that my children will be available for 3 days post-surgery, I would be willing to undergo the operation." This intervention guides participants to actively define a personal pathway toward the surgical decision
  • No Intervention: No Writing Task (Control)
    After reading the same standardized introductory paragraph about cataract diagnosis and treatment as the intervention group, control participants proceed directly to the follow-up questionnaire items without any writing task. All subsequent questionnaire items are identical to those completed by the intervention group.

Primary Outcome Measure

Rate of Surgical Registration Within 6 Months [ Time Frame: 6 months from initial outpatient consultation ]

Central Contacts

Related Studies