Placebo Effect and the Design of Placebo Acupuncture in Clinical Trials
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2024.09.006
- VernacularTitle:安慰剂效应及临床试验中针刺安慰效应的设计思路
- Author:
Yanhong ZHANG
1
;
Yanke AI
2
;
Jinhong YANG
1
;
Weijuan GANG
1
;
Xianghong JING
1
;
Baoyan LIU
3
Author Information
1. Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， Beijing， 100700
2. Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
3. Traditional Chinese Medicine Data Center， China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
placebo;
placebo effect;
acupuncture;
efficacy evaluation
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2024;65(9):904-908
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Clinical research is usually aimed at and guided by therapeutic efficacy. Clarifying the placebo effect and the nocebo effect from treatment outcomes is an important issue in clinical research. This paper reviews the meaning of the placebo effect， suggesting that factors that may produce the placebo effect in clinical practice include past experience associations， patient expectations， suggestion， and doctor-patient relationships. It also summarizes the characteristics of the nocebo effect， its influencing factors， and its impact on clinical prognosis. Combining the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine， this paper explores the design of acupuncture clinical trials that can reflect the measurement of the placebo effect， attempting to provide a clearer interpretation of the placebo effect in the evaluation of acupuncture efficacy in traditional Chinese medicine. Taking primary insomnia as an example， a prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial is designed to observe and evaluate the relationship between the treatment effects of acupuncture and the placebo effect in different patients under the treatment of the same doctor. Group comparisons will help better distinguish clinical effects in different situations. The authors also attempt to explore the responsive population to the placebo effect and the effects of placebos in different populations.
