Clinical trials

This prospective, controlled, observational cohort study will evaluate short-term changes in inflammatory biomarkers and subclinical cardiac function in adults with peripheral neuropathic pain who are prescribed gabapentin or pregabalin as part of routine clinical care. A total of 75 participants will be enrolled: 25 patients starting gabapentin, 25 patients starting pregabalin, and 25 healthy controls without peripheral neuropathy or chronic neuropathic pain. Treatment selection and dose adjustments will be determined by the treating physician and will not be assigned by the study investigators. Participants will be assessed at baseline and again after 30 ± 7 days. Assessments will include clinical information, pain severity, routine laboratory results, inflammatory biomarkers, and standard transthoracic echocardiography. No additional blood will be collected solely for research; leftover serum from routine testing will be used. The primary aim is to compare changes over time between the gabapentin and pregabalin groups, while the healthy control group will provide a reference for interpretation.

Family members of patients undergoing tracheostomy in the intensive care unit frequently experience anxiety, uncertainty, and concerns regarding the patient's care. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of structured education provided to family members of patients undergoing tracheostomy in the intensive care unit on state anxiety, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with care. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group will receive structured education before tracheostomy, whereas the control group will receive routine information. Outcomes will be assessed before tracheostomy, on the first day after tracheostomy, and one week after the procedure.

This prospective randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effect of mobile-based perioperative education on postoperative urinary incontinence and erectile function in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. Patients scheduled for radical prostatectomy will be assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group will receive standard care plus a structured mobile application-based perioperative education program including video-assisted pelvic floor muscle training, perioperative education modules, reminders, and follow-up components. The control group will receive routine perioperative care and standard patient education. Data will be collected preoperatively, after urinary catheter removal, and at 1 month and 3 months after surgery. The primary outcomes are urinary incontinence and erectile function, assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF), the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), and a 24-hour pad assessment. Secondary outcomes include lower urinary tract symptoms and disease-specific quality of life assessed by the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), psychological status assessed by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and system usability assessed by the Turkish version of the Computer System Usability Questionnaire-Short Version (T-CSUQ-SV)

This randomized controlled trial aims to examine gifted and talented students' perceptions and concerns regarding digital privacy within the context of their digital literacy. The study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured digital privacy education intervention designed to increase awareness and informed decision-making in digital environments. Gifted students are randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group receiving standard practice. Data are collected using validated measures of digital privacy perception, digital literacy, and privacy-related concerns. The findings are expected to contribute to the development of evidence-based digital literacy and privacy education practices for gifted learners.

Chest tubes are routinely required during cardiothoracic procedures in open-heart surgeries. Postoperatively, these tubes are typically removed within 24-48 hours, and the removal process often causes patients to experience significant pain and discomfort due to the force applied. Among non-pharmacological strategies for managing procedural pain, distraction techniques are commonly used to divert patients' attention away from painful stimuli. In this context, the use of virtual reality (VR) headsets has recently emerged as an innovative method for pain management, effectively redirecting attention during invasive interventions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of virtual reality on pain and anxiety levels during chest tube removal. This research is designed as a randomized controlled experimental trial. The study population will consist of patients undergoing open-heart surgery at the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic of Giresun Training and Research Hospital. A total of 60 patients who meet the inclusion criteria and are representative of the study population will be recruited. Data will be collected using a Patient Identification Form developed by the researchers to assess sociodemographic characteristics, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the State Anxiety Inventory. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Patients in the control group will receive routine care without additional intervention. In the experimental group, patients will be thoroughly informed about the VR procedure, including instructions on how to use the headset, details of the video content, and an explanation of the upcoming intervention. Five minutes before chest tube removal, the VR headset will be placed on the patient, and a video will be shown. The physician will then remove the chest tube(s) while the patient is engaged in the VR session. Pain intensity will be assessed at three time points: before chest tube removal, immediately after the procedure, and 20 minutes post-procedure. Anxiety levels will be evaluated twice: before the procedure and 20 minutes afterward. Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and independent t-tests will be used for group comparisons, while repeated measures analysis of variance (R-ANOVA) will be employed for repeated measures.