Clinical Products and Education

Virtual Communication Training Tool to ​improve communication between patient and healthcare providers, developed in collaboration with the Simulation Crew.

In this training, different techniques that are supported by scientific research are implemented. The training includes both theoretical background and hands-on practice including communication with simulated virtual patients. The training is based on the most recent scientific insights and expert consensus (Evers ea 2018, DOI: 10.1159/000490354).

A survey and interdisciplinary expert meeting by invitation was organized as part of the 1st International Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS) in 2017. Twenty-nine internationally recognized placebo researchers participated. There was consensus that maximizing placebo effects and minimizing nocebo effects should lead to better treatment outcomes with fewer side effects. 

A survey and interdisciplinary expert meeting by invitation was organized as part of the 2nd International Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS) in 2019. The surveys were subdivided into 3 parts: (1) informing patients about placebo effects, (2) informing patients about nocebo effects, and (3) training clinicians how to communicate this information to the patients.

In this course you, as a healthcare provider, learn how you can increase the effectiveness of a treatment through communication. You will receive guidelines for optimizing placebo effects and minimizing nocebo effects through communication.

Do you know how, as a healthcare provider, you can increase the effectiveness of a treatment through communication? After following this course you will have received guidelines for optimizing placebo effects and minimizing nocebo effects through communication. You learn about the impact of patients' expectations about a treatment, and you get tips on how best to discuss expectations, but also risks and side effects. In addition, you will also learn how to optimize the healthcare provider-patient relationship and what the effect of this can be. Finally, you will learn why it can be useful to explain to patients about placebo and nocebo effects and you will receive tips on how best to do this. On the basis of your own case, you will then practice with these learned skills.

The placebo effect has been studied since the 1950’s, starting with the original 1955 study of Beecher. In this course we will discuss several postulated underlying mechanisms of the placebo effect (e.g. expectancy, conditioning, affect-modulation, and doctor-patient communication). Furthermore we will debate the existence of the placebo effect and discuss the challenges in measuring the effect. Questions that will be addressed are for instance: can you deliver an open label placebo? Is it ethical to prescribe a placebo when a patient doesn’t know he is getting a sugar pill? Does the placebo effect exist outside of pain medication research? You will experience the strength of the placebo effect first hand in an experiment during the course.

The assessment of the course will exist of the presentation of a research proposal for studying the placebo effect.

IPS offers education on placebo and nocebo effects, communication, and related topics. Below is a selection of relevant Bachelor courses that IPS contributes to:

• Personality, Clinical and Health Psychology (Mandatory course 1st year)
• Stress, Health & Disease (Mandatory course 2nd year)
• Health and Medical Psychology (Specialization course 2nd year/3rd year)
• Cross-cultural Psychology of Health and Illness (Elective 2nd year/3rd year)
• Pharmacological & Biological Approaches to Clinical and Health Psychology (Elective 2nd year/3rd year)
• Psychology of Stress and Health (Mandatory course) – Bachelor Leiden University College
• Numerous Bachelor Projects

IPS contributes to education on placebo and nocebo effects, communication, and related topics. Below is a selection of relevant Master courses that IPS contributes to:

• Psychological Assessment and Interventions in Chronic Disease (Mandatory course) – Master Psychology: specialization Health and Medical Psychology
• Health Psychology: From Research to Practice (Elective) – Master Psychology
• Research Topics in Health Promotion (Mandatory course) – Research Master Psychology: Clinical and Health Psychology
• Numerous Master theses

IPS contributes to education on placebo and nocebo effects, communication, and related topics. Below is a selection of relevant external courses that IPS contributes to:

• The Placebo Effect (Course NIHES) – Erasmus MC
• Medical Psychology (Minor) – Erasmus MC
• Medicine ‘Soma & Psyche’ (Elective) – Amsterdam UMC
• Placebo Effect (Lecture) – Research Master Psychology, Maastricht University
• Lecture delivering bad news – Erasmus MC
• Numerous Master theses