University of Oxford

SCIENCE Study

Surgical fixation versus non-surgical care for children with a displaced medial epicondyle fracture of the elbow (the SCIENCE study)

The SCIENCE Study compared surgical and non-surgical treatment for childhood elbow fractures.

Published in The Lancet, the SCIENCE study is the largest multi-centre randomised controlled trial of its kind. The trial included 334 children aged 7 to 15 years across hospitals in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Researchers in Liverpool and Oxford found that surgery for a common elbow fracture in children offers no clinical benefit compared with non-surgical care. The findings have important implications for treatment decisions and could deliver substantial cost savings to the NHS.

Morph solution

Our solution for SCIENCE supported both recruitment and dissemination, bringing together a coordinated set of digital tools across the life of the study.

Study Website – a professional public-facing hub for the trial, hosting the Patient Information Animation and an online Patient Information Sheet to provide a clear and accessible route for participants.
Patient Information Animation – a 2D explainer designed to summarise the study and support understanding during recruitment.
Online Patient Information Sheet – a structured digital version of the PIS, enabling participants to review information clearly and at their own pace.
Dissemination Animation – a concise 2D explainer presenting the study’s findings in a clear and accessible format.
Dissemination Website – a dedicated online home for the study’s results and outputs, bringing together the animation, a clinical pathway PDF to support implementation, a general infographic, and a patient information leaflet.

All dissemination materials and the website were produced in English and four additional languages, with language selection controlled by the user.

Working with the Morph team is great - I’ve worked with them over several studies, and they understand clinical research and what a study needs to be successful. They really become part of the study team during setup, and are hugely responsive.

Professor Dan Perry, University of Liverpool

RECOVERY Trial video

Aenean lobortis arcu non sodales pellentesque. Ut pellentesque orci tellus, vitae cursus mi consectetur nec. Donec id mollis quam, in ullamcorper neque. Duis viverra, tortor eu hendrerit interdum, massa nisl feugiat enim, vitae iaculis nunc quam nec turpis. Cras facilisis ligula eu lacinia sodales. Maecenas iaculis faucibus dui, a accumsan eros dictum sed. Suspendisse sit amet eleifend erat.

Maecenas vitae ultricies libero. In mauris elit, euismod blandit convallis a, laoreet eget sem. Phasellus eget risus laoreet, blandit elit ut, ultrices magna. Duis eget porta sapien. Donec vulputate tincidunt urna, eget semper ante ornare at. Nam ultrices nibh at massa eleifend aliquet. Duis vehicula nunc eget magna tempus, non viverra nunc bibendum.

Maecenas vel ante in justo eleifend faucibus. Curabitur vel arcu posuere, ultricies arcu in, egestas dolor. Integer sed elit quis odio aliquet auctor fringilla at arcu. Aliquam leo tellus, efficitur sit amet augue vitae, ultricies elementum sapien. Ut sed dui lacinia, cursus enim id, pulvinar lectus. Phasellus ultricies nisl at felis efficitur, sed suscipit leo mollis. Nam fermentum ullamcorper tortor, ac tincidunt lorem euismod ac. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nunc porttitor nibh a iaculis lacinia. Nulla est neque, consectetur euismod lorem sed, tristique laoreet quam. Nunc ultrices lectus elit, at ultrices elit tempor non. Vestibulum id pulvinar nisl. Aenean nibh ipsum, scelerisque aliquet ex in, pulvinar faucibus metus. Pellentesque non iaculis ipsum.