Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Morton E. Tavel
Summary: The placebo effect refers to improvements in illnesses or subjective symptom reduction caused by interventions with no known physical effects, while the nocebo effect refers to undesirable symptoms or illnesses following interventions with no known physical effects, and it may play a role in chronic illnesses without objective confirmation. Both placebo and nocebo effects are powerful and must be understood by practitioners and researchers in clinical medicine. Individual caregivers can apply these principles to modify patient care outcomes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Fabrizio Benedetti, Elisa Frisaldi, Aziz Shaibani
Summary: Over the past 30 years, there has been significant research on the placebo effect using a neuroscientific approach. This research has identified biological mechanisms of both the placebo and nocebo effects and has important implications in clinical trials and medical practice. The contribution of neuroscience has drawn attention to the role of psychobiological factors in therapeutic outcomes.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roni Shafir, Maya Israel, Luana Colloca
Summary: The placebo effect demonstrates how positive expectancies shape the effectiveness of various treatments. This study shows that placebo-induced expectancies can improve individuals' internal emotion regulation attempts. The placebo distraction was effective in reducing fear of pain and was preferred by the participants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
James P. Howard, Frances A. Wood, Judith A. Finegold, Alexandra N. Nowbar, David M. Thompson, Ahran D. Arnold, Christopher A. Rajkumar, Susan Connolly, Jaimini Cegla, Chris Stride, Peter Sever, Christine Norton, Simon A. M. Thom, Matthew J. Shun-Shin, Darrel P. Francis
Summary: The study found that the majority of symptoms caused by statin tablets were actually due to the placebo effect, suggesting that clinicians should be cautious when attributing symptoms to the medication. The research also indicated that there was no significant difference between abandoning statins and placebos, and the relief of symptoms after stopping medication was similar in both groups.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yue-Li Sun, Min Yao, Yue-Feng Zhu, Meng-Chen Yin, Jin-Tao Liu, Xin Chen, Jin Huang, Yu-Xiang Dai, Wen-Hao Wang, Zeng-Bin Ma, Yong-Jun Wang, Xue-Jun Cui
Summary: The study suggests that patients with shorter disease duration are more likely to overestimate their pain severity in neck pain treatment, due to their limited experience in pain perception, tolerance, and analgesia expectation.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yair Sharav, Yaron Haviv, Michael Tal
Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of placebo and nocebo under hypnotic analgesia in lowly and highly hypnotizable subjects. Placebo and nocebo effects were studied through verbal expectation and conditioning in 12 lowly and 12 highly hypnotizable subjects under hypnosis. The results showed that placebo-produced analgesia differed significantly from nocebo-produced hyperalgesia in lowly hypnotizable subjects. However, no difference was detected between placebo and nocebo effects in highly hypnotizable subjects. The study suggests that combining placebo intervention with hypnotic analgesia can significantly improve pain relief regardless of hypnotic susceptibility.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Carina Schlintl, Anne Schienle
Summary: The study showed that written information can influence the occurrence of reported placebo/nocebo side effects. Additionally, information about the provider's optimistic personality was associated with a lower frequency of reported adverse side effects.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Fabrizio Benedetti, Martina Amanzio, Fabio Giovannelli, Karen Craigs-Brackhahn, Aziz Shaibani
Summary: This study revealed that participants who read a list of possible adverse events before receiving a placebo treatment reported more adverse events compared to those who did not read the list. Moreover, increased activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and higher state anxiety scores were observed in those who reported multiple adverse events, indicating a potential neuroendocrine mechanism following placebo administration.
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Elan A. Cohen, Howard H. Hassman, Larry Ereshefsky, David P. Walling, Vera M. Grindell, Richard S. E. Keefe, Katarzyna Wyka, William P. Horan
Summary: The high and growing placebo response rates in clinical trials for CNS indications present a major challenge for drug development. This study found that educating participants about placebo response factors through the Placebo-Control Reminder Script (PCRS) can help mitigate placebo response rates and reduce the number of adverse events.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Christian P. Cheung, Mathura T. Thiyagarajah, Haben Y. Abraha, Celina S. Liu, Krista L. Lanctot, Alex J. Kiss, Mahwesh Saleem, Ari Juda, Anthony J. Levitt, Ayal Schaffer, Amy H. Cheung, Mark Sinyor
Summary: This study found that among patients receiving active treatment in antidepressant trials, drug-drug trials had lower rates of adverse events compared to other designs. However, there were no significant differences in adverse event rates across different designs for patients receiving placebo.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Melanie Neumann, Markus Antonius Wirtz, Gabriele Lutz, Alina Ernesti, Friedrich Edelhaeuser
Summary: This article emphasizes the importance of understanding and operationalizing placebo effects, nocebo effects, and psychosocial context effects in studies on diet changes. The article provides methods and theoretical foundations for further research on these effects. Furthermore, the article suggests considering the impact of these effects in future research and nutrition counseling.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Applied
Kirsten Barnes, Rachelle Wang, Kate Faasse
Summary: This study found that interactions with higher warmth can lead to increased psychological well-being, while interactions with lower warmth can lead to increased side effect reporting. Positive and negative expectations, as well as treatment-related worry, did not vary by interaction style, but individual psychological well-being and side effect reporting were inversely associated.
APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY-HEALTH AND WELL BEING
(2023)
Review
Dermatology
Wiebke Sondermann, Finja Reinboldt-Jockenhofer, Joachim Dissemond, Oliver Pfaar, Ulrike Bingel, Manfred Schedlowski
Summary: Patients' expectations play a crucial role in influencing the placebo and treatment effects, including in dermatology. It is important for healthcare providers to consider and address patients' expectations in order to optimize treatment outcomes and enhance patient experiences. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying patients' expectations and their clinical implications in dermatological conditions.
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Inigo R. Arandia, Ezequiel A. Di Paolo
Summary: The controversy surrounding placebo effects is attributed to their complexity and variability. The study proposes the enactive approach as an alternative theoretical framework to traditional explanations, emphasizing the importance of an ontology of individuation and dimensions of embodiment in placebo effects. The study also discusses the need to move beyond individual social traits and investigate therapeutic interactions in terms of participatory sense-making.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Pirkko Lepola, Maxine Kindred, Viviana Giannuzzi, Heidi Glosli, Martine Dehlinger-Kremer, Harris Dalrymple, David Neubauer, Geraldine B. Boylan, Jean Conway, Jo Dewhurst, Diane Hoffman
Summary: This study compiled and analyzed current legal, ethical, and regulatory guidance for pediatric clinical trials in Europe, creating a comprehensive guide divided into 30 subject elements. The guide, available on Enpr-EMA website, aims to improve ethical standards in pediatric clinical trials.
ARCHIVES OF DISEASE IN CHILDHOOD
(2022)
Editorial Material
Oncology
W. Lipworth, I. Kerridge, N. Ghinea, J. Zalcberg
ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY
(2019)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Paul A. Komesaroff, Ian Kerridge
INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL
(2018)
Article
Emergency Medicine
Peter Brendt, Alexander Mathews, Randall Greenberg, Mark Arnold
PREHOSPITAL EMERGENCY CARE
(2019)
Article
Immunology
Gemma Dyer, Nicole Gilroy, Lisa Brice, Masura Kabir, David Gottlieb, Gillian Huang, Megan Hogg, Louisa Brown, Matt Greenwood, Stephen R. Larsen, John Moore, Mark Hertzberg, Jeff Tan, Christopher Ward, Ian Kerridge
TRANSPLANT INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2019)
Editorial Material
Ethics
Mark Arnold
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2019)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Mark H. Arnold
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2019)
Editorial Material
Ethics
Mark Henderson Arnold, Ian Kerridge
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOETHICS
(2020)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Mark H. Arnold
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2020)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Mark H. Arnold, Paul Komesaroff, Ian Kerridge
INTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL
(2020)
Article
Ethics
Mark Arnold, Ian Kerridge
JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY
(2020)
Article
Ethics
Mark Henderson Arnold
Summary: The rapid integration of artificial intelligence in medicine introduces potential advantages and challenges for patients and physicians, involving issues of ontology, epistemology, and morality. The unclear legal relationship between AI and its users highlights the need for ongoing discourse and iterative development of future care models.
JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Chanaka Wijeratne, Margaret P. Kay, Mark H. Arnold, Jeffrey C. L. Looi
MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA
(2022)
Review
Ethics
Rafael Thomas Osik Szumer, Mark Arnold
Summary: It is uncertain if there is an established rural ethics for managing professional boundaries, and if so, what theoretical approaches can help practitioners handle overlapping relationships. To effectively practice in rural and remote healthcare settings while being part of the community, practitioners need to establish and maintain safe, ethical, and sustainable therapeutic relationships. A narrative review found a significant amount of qualitative and theoretical literature that explores the prevalence of dual relationships among healthcare workers in rural and remote healthcare. Rather than condemning dual relationships, contemporary work focuses on understanding the experiences of healthcare workers and finding approaches that protect the therapeutic relationship while acknowledging the unique nature of rural and remote healthcare practice. It is concluded that practitioners need an ethics framework that is contextualized to their specific setting.
JOURNAL OF BIOETHICAL INQUIRY
(2023)
Article
Education, Scientific Disciplines
Mark H. Arnold, Damien Finniss, Georgina M. Luscombe, Ian Kerridge
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT
(2020)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Miriam Wiersma, Narcyz Ghinea, Ian Kerridge, Wendy Lipworth
SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS
(2019)