Using an online pain management programme to improve recovery and reduce the risk of postsurgical pain after surgery for scoliosis: evaluating the iCanCope Post-Op smartphone app

Online psychological intervention to promote healthy adjustment and reduce risk of chronic postsurgical pain following surgery for scoliosis: evaluation of iCanCope post-op smartphone app

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN15971722

Enrollment

Registered

2022-05-17

Start date

2022-04-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Reduction of the impact of preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain for adolescents aged 12- 18 yrs undergoing surgery for scoliosis. Surgery

Interventions

A multi-centre, parallel groups pilot RCT design will be conducted with at least 60 adolescents. Adolescent patients (12-18 years) who are to undergo surgery for scoliosis will be recruited (i) thro

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

12 Years to 18 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 12 to 18 years 2. Own a smartphone compatible with the iCanCope app (iOS or Android) 3. Diagnosed with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis 4. Are able to speak and read English 5. Scheduled to undergo scoliosis surgery

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Significant cognitive impairment or other co-existing medical condition that could limit the ability to use the iCanCope app, as identified by their health care provider 2. A diagnosed chronic pain condition not related to the surgical condition

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. Accrual and dropout rates measured using the study enrolment logs throughout the study period, with total rates calculated at study completion. 2. Fidelity measured using the study enrolment logs. We will track any technical or other issues with enrolling participants in the study enrolment loss so we can calculate a rate of successful app onboarding, and measure completion. Tracking of this is done throughout the study and rates are calculated at study completion. 3. Adolescents’ perceptions regarding app acceptability and satisfaction measured using qualitative interviews after the trial has ended. 4. App engagement measured for intervention participants only, using the analytics dashboard. Specifically, we measure the rate of check-in completion, articles read, and goals set.	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Accrual and dropout rates measured using the study enrolment logs throughout the study period, with total rates calculated at study completion. 2. Fidelity measured using the study enrolment logs. We will track any technical or other issues with enrolling participants in the study enrolment loss so we can calculate a rate of successful app onboarding, and measure completion. Tracking of this is done throughout the study and rates are calculated at study completion. 3. Adolescents’ perceptions regarding app acceptability and satisfaction measured using qualitative interviews after the trial has ended. 4. App engagement measured for intervention participants only, using the analytics dashboard. Specifically, we measure the rate of check-in completion, articles read, and goals set.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Pain intensity measured using Pain Intensity Questionnaire at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 2. Pain interference measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Pain Interference at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 3. Pain catastrophizing measured using Pain Catastrophizing Scale Children at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 4. Pain self-efficacy measured using Pain Intensity Questionnaire at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 5. Depression measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Depressive Symptoms at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 6. Anxiety measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Anxiety at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 7. Sleep measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Sleep Disturbance at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 8. Physical function measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Mobility at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 9. Patient’s impressions of recovery using Patient Global Impression of Change at T4. 10. Participants in the intervention group’ acceptability of the iCanCope PostOp app using Acceptability e-Scale at T1 & T4. 11. School attendance measured Health Services, Medication and School Attendance at T2, T3 & T4. T0/Baseline = 6-8 weeks before surgery T1 = 1 week before surgery T2 = 2 weeks after surgery T3 = 4 weeks after surgery T4 = 12 weeks after surgery	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Pain intensity measured using Pain Intensity Questionnaire at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 2. Pain interference measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Pain Interference at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 3. Pain catastrophizing measured using Pain Catastrophizing Scale Children at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 4. Pain self-efficacy measured using Pain Intensity Questionnaire at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 5. Depression measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Depressive Symptoms at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 6. Anxiety measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Anxiety at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 7. Sleep measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Sleep Disturbance at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 8. Physical function measured using PROMIS Pediatric – Mobility at T0, T1, T2, T3 & T4. 9. Patient’s impressions of recovery using Patient Global Impression of Change at T4. 10. Participants in the intervention group’ acceptability of the iCanCope PostOp app using Acceptability e-Scale at T1 & T4. 11. School attendance measured Health Services, Medication and School Attendance at T2, T3 & T4. T0/Baseline = 6-8 weeks before surgery T1 = 1 week before surgery T2 = 2 weeks after surgery T3 = 4 weeks after surgery T4 = 12 weeks after surgery

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Countries

Ireland

Contacts

Public ContactPaul O'Reilly

paul.p.oreilly@nuigalway.ie+353868600130

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jun 11, 2026