Publication: Do patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and healthy people differ in their opinions on placebo effects in routine medical care?
Placebo effects can relieve acute and chronic pain in both research and clinical treatments by learning mechanisms. However, the application of placebo-based treatment strategies in routine medical care is questioned. In this recent study, Hans van Lennep, Simone Meijer, Merve Karacaoglu, Ralph Rippe, Kaya Peerdeman, Henriët van Middendorp and Andrea Evers shed light on how patients with fibromyalgia and healthy individuals perceive the use of placebo-based strategies to manage pain. The results offer valuable insights into their potential role in everyday medical care.
They surveyed both groups to understand their opinions, and discrepancies in opinions, regarding different placebo methods. Among these methods were: closed-label, open-label, dose-extending, and treatment-enhancing strategies. Finally, they assessed the knowledge of both groups about placebo effects. Results show that closed-label placebo, where patients are unaware they are receiving a placebo, was the least acceptable approach in medical care. In contrast, strategies that are transparent or enhance existing treatments were viewed more positively. Both patients' medical history and their knowledge about placebo effects were related to the acceptability and perceived effectiveness of placebo-based strategies. Namely, the study showed that patients with fibromyalgia had somewhat less positive attitudes about placebo-based strategies than healthy controls as well as that greater knowledge about placebo effects relate to higher acceptance and perceived effectiveness. These data suggest that education and transparency are key to successfully using placebo treatments in everyday medical care.