{
  "abstract": "Background: Postoperative pain management after colectomy remains challenging, with opioid-related complications impacting recovery. This study evaluates the feasibility of implementing clinical hypnosis as an adjunctive intervention.\n\nObjective: To determine the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomized controlled trial investigating hypnosis for post-colectomy pain management.\n\nDesign: Single-centre randomized controlled feasibility trial.\n\nSetting: District general hospital in South-West England (July 2023–February 2024).\n\nPatients: Forty-one adults undergoing elective colectomy.\n\nInterventions: Participants were randomized to standard care or standard care plus three perioperative hypnosis sessions (preoperatively, first and third day post-surgery).\n\nMain Outcome Measures: Primary: recruitment rates, retention, and intervention adherence. Secondary: pain scores (Numeric Pain Scale), analgesic requirements, and complications.\n\nResults: Recruitment achieved 58% (41/71 eligible patients), with 90% retention and 92.5% intervention adherence. The hypnosis group demonstrated pain reductions approximating the minimum clinically important difference, providing signals of potential clinical benefit following sessions: at 24 hours post-surgery, median pain decreased from 5.0 to 2.5 (median difference -2.0, 95% confidence interval -2.5 to -1.0), and at Day 3, from 4.0 to 1.5 (median difference -2.5, 95% confidence interval -3.0 to -1.5). Between-group comparisons showed lower pain in the hypnosis group at 24 hours (median 5.0 vs 6.0, median difference -1.2, 95% confidence interval -2.3 to -0.1).\n\nLimitations: Single-centre design limits generalizability; participant and staff blinding was unfeasible; hypnotisability was not assessed.\n\nConclusions: Hypnosis is feasible in acute surgical settings, with trends supporting pain reduction and positive patient experiences. A definitive trial is warranted to determine efficacy for post-colectomy pain management.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "School of Health Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom",
    "Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Taunton, United Kingdom",
    "Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ana-Maria Toth"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Paul Mackey"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Stefano Di Donato"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Begonya Alcacer-Pitarch"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/62dvy74fd3ky0.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1097/dcr.0000000000004384",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7619523/",
  "id": "62dvy74fd3ky0",
  "issns": [
    "0012-3706",
    "1530-0358"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/dcr.0000000000004384",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Pain Management and Placebo Effect"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204467329",
  "pdf_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7619523/pdf/EMS217795.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC7619523",
  "pmid": "42657589",
  "published": "2026-08-27",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/62dvy74fd3ky0.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:23:01Z",
      "native_id": "PMC7619523",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1097/dcr.0000000000004384"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2805|Pain Management and Placebo Effect",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Hypnosis for Postoperative Pain Management After Colectomies: A Single-Centre Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial",
  "title_text": "Hypnosis for Postoperative Pain Management After Colectomies: A Single-Centre Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T12:20:42Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/62dvy74fd3ky0",
  "venue": "Diseases of the colon and rectum",
  "versions": []
}