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NCT Number: NCT07680894

DockTales for Chronic Pain

This study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of DockTales, a mobile health tool designed for adults with chronic pain. DockTales supports pain and sleep tracking through brief diaries, body-map pain reporting, reflective journaling, visual summaries, and optional AI-supported interaction. The study will be conducted completely remotely. Participants will complete 2 weeks of DockTales use and 2 weeks of REDCap-based daily monitoring, with the order randomized. The main goal is to determine whether DockTales is usable, acceptable, engaging, and practical for adults with chronic pain compared with standard REDCap monitoring.

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Key information

Conditions

Chronic Pain Chronic Pain Syndrome Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–88 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

About this study

This is a fully remote, randomized crossover pilot clinical trial designed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of DockTales among adults with chronic pain. Chronic pain is defined as pain lasting for more than 3 months. A total of up to 60 participants will be enrolled.

Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two study sequences. Participants assigned to Sequence 1 will complete 2 weeks of DockTales use followed by 2 weeks of REDCap-based daily monitoring. Participants assigned to Sequence 2 will complete 2 weeks of REDCap-based daily monitoring followed by 2 weeks of DockTales use. All participants will complete both study conditions.

Participants will complete questionnaires at baseline, after the first 2-week period, and after the second 2-week period. These assessments will evaluate feasibility, acceptability, usability, burden, engagement, technical issues, participant preference, and exploratory pain and sleep-related outcomes. Some participants may also complete an optional remote semi-structured interview after finishing both study conditions.

The primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability. Feasibility will be assessed through recruitment, retention, adherence, completion of DockTales use, completion of REDCap monitoring, missing data, and technical issues. Acceptability will be assessed through satisfaction, engagement, perceived usefulness, ease of use, burden, willingness to use DockTales again, and preference between DockTales and REDCap monitoring.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ( 18-88 years old)
  • English speaker (written and spoken)
  • Chronic pain for at least 3 months
  • Smartphone/text messaging capability

Exclusion criteria

  • Any personal history of mania, schizophrenia, or other psychoses
  • Severe psychiatric condition (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, autism) leading to hospitalization within the last 3 years.
  • Pregnancy or breast feeding
  • Impaired or uncorrected hearing

Treatment and study plan

DockTales

Behavioral

DockTales includes several core features:

  • Brief diary entries
  • Body-map pain reporting/feedback
  • Reflective journaling
  • Optional AI-supported interaction The AI-supported feature is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment recommendations, mental health care, or emergency support.

The focus of the DockTales intervention is to support self-monitoring, reflection, engagement, and user experience among adults with chronic pain.

REDCap monitoring

Other

REDCap will be used to monitor daily symptoms and diaries from people with chronic pain.

Primary outcomes

  1. Enrollment rate

    Time frame: At the enrollment

    Enrollment rate: the proportion (%) of recruited participants who enrolled in the study.

  2. Retention rate

    Time frame: End of Week 4

    Retention rate: the proportion (%) of enrolled participants who finished the study

  3. Module completion rate

    Time frame: End of Week 4

    Module rate: the proportion (%) of completed modules in the DockTales app. The DockTales app contains 1) daily monitoring module; 2) navigation map module; 3) AI avatar companion module; and 4) daily dairy module.

  4. Daily survey completion rate

    Time frame: End of Week 4

    Module rate: the proportion (%) of completed daily surveys sent through DockTales and REDCap-based surveys.

  5. Levels of satisfaction

    Time frame: End of Week 2 and Week 4

    Levels of satisfaction are assessed using a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 = not satisfied at all to 100 = extremely satisfied.

  6. Levels of enjoyment

    Time frame: End of Week 2 and Week 4

    Levels of enjoyment are assessed using a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 = not enjoyed at all to 100 = extremely enjoyed.

  7. Levels of engagement

    Time frame: End of Week 2 and Week 4

    Levels of engagement are assessed using a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 = not engaged at all to 100 = extremely engaged.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Yang Wang, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

410-706-7824

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Maryland, Baltimore

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Evaluating Feasibility and Acceptability of DockTales for Chronic Pain

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 2, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 2, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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