Sorry Not Sorry: Apologizing and Its Effect on Discomfort During Dressing Removal

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03216629

Enrollment

Registered

2017-07-13

Start date

2018-03-06

Completion date

2018-09-01

Last updated

2018-10-11

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

Conditions

Bandages, Empathy, Pain

Keywords

Pain, Empathy, Dressing change

Brief summary

Use of dressing is common place following surgery, allowing for wounds to be covered and protected. Dressing material with adhesive contact layers or adhesive tape is integral to sealing off the wound. Mechanical stripping of stratum corneum during dressing removal causes pain and discomfort. During dressing removal, practitioners may at times apologize as a function of empathy. Previous study investigated speed of dressing removal and its effect on discomfort during dressing change. In this study, the investigators aim to investigate how empathy expressed in form of saying sorry affect the perception of pain during dressing change?

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSaying sorry

The objective of this study is to investigate how empathy expressed in form of saying sorry affect the perception of pain during dressing change?

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy adult volunteers, age \>18.

Exclusion criteria

* individuals with sensitivity to tape or dressing, anxiety disorders, or pain syndromes.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Pain	Immediate	Based on self reported 10 point visual analog scale

Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026