SCIENCE is a study is trying to improve the treatment of children who have a broken bone in the elbow called an ‘epicondyle fracture’.
Read moreYou are free to decide if you want your child to take part
Read moreYour child will either be treated with a cast or splint, or with an operation.
Read moreEach of these routinely used treatments has potential advantages and disadvantages.
Read moreYou and your child can leave the study at any time.
Read moreThe results will be de-identified and available to you online.
Read moreWe will involve around 334 children and young people, with the same injury as your child/relative.
We will treat about 167 children by resting the arm in plaster cast for up to 4 weeks, to allow it to heal by itself.
We will treat about another 167 children with surgery to fix the bone, usually with a screw and resting the arm in a splint or cast for up to 4 weeks.
Dan, SCIENCE study doctor
The only way to compare the treatments fairly is to create two groups of children who are the same, by a process called randomisation. You can’t choose the treatment, and neither can the doctors, otherwise the groups would not be the same. When we have groups of patients who are as identical as possible, we can then compare them fairly in terms of outcomes.
Shrouk, SCIENCE study doctor
Rebecca, Parent of participant in a similar study