Patient Reported Outcomes, Postoperative Pain and Pain Relief After Day Case Surgery (POPPY)

Last updated: July 29, 2025
Sponsor: University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust
Overall Status: Completed

Phase

N/A

Condition

Chronic Pain

Drug Use

Pain

Treatment

Day case surgery

Clinical Study ID

NCT06008496
23/SED/793
  • Ages 18-110
  • All Genders
  • Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Summary

Around 3 out of 4 operations in the UK are performed as day-case, meaning the patient goes home on the same day of their operation. Hospitals usually do not follow up patients after day-case operations so we do not know very much about their short or long-term recovery. Some patients, even those who have had small operations, can develop persistent pain afterwards that continues for a long time (months to years). These patients may end up taking strong painkillers for a long time and this risks serious side effects and long-term health problems.

The POPPY study aims to find out what recovery from day-case operations is like from the patient's point of view. We will look at the first week after patients' operations and then at 3 months to see if they are in pain, and if so what pain relief they are taking.

All adults over the 5-day study period having day-case operations in the UK, with an anaesthetist, will be eligible if they have access to a smartphone. Patients will be recruited on the day of their operation from over 100 NHS hospitals. Some relevant information about the patient's current health, operation and anaesthetic will be recorded from their notes. Afterwards participants will get a text message at days 1, 3 and 7 and the at 3 months. These will connect to a data secure online questionnaire about pain, recovery, and what medications they are taking. A small number of participants with ongoing pain at 3 months will be invited to take part in a structured interview to understand their experience in more depth.

This study will provide important information that may be used to improve care of patients having day-case operations and plan future research studies aimed to prevent persistent pain and long-term use of strong painkillers.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older on day of surgery

  • Day-case surgery as defined by National Day Surgery Delivery Pack (NEED REF)

  • An anaesthetist must be present for case.

  • The procedure must involve one or more of: sedation, regional anaesthesia, centralneuraxial anaesthesia or general anaesthesia

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Less than 18 years of age on day of surgery

  • No anaesthetist involved with the procedure (such as local anaesthesia provided by asurgeon)

  • Overnight stay (admission to hospital)

  • Participant lacking capacity for consent

  • Diagnostic and/or minimally invasive procedures (e.g., radiology, endoscopy, orcardiology procedures)

  • Pregnancy or obstetric related procedures (pregnancy per-se is not an exclusioncriterion).

  • Currently breast feeding

  • Ophthalmic procedures

  • No access to Smartphone and email

  • Prisoners

Eligibility for qualitative component:

As above, plus reporting PPSP and/or PPOU at day 97 post operative

Study Design

Total Participants: 7839
Treatment Group(s): 1
Primary Treatment: Day case surgery
Phase:
Study Start date:
January 15, 2024
Estimated Completion Date:
July 01, 2025

Connect with a study center

  • University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

    Plymouth, Devon
    United Kingdom

    Site Not Available

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