The placebo effect in symptom management.
OBJECTIVE
To explore current knowledge of placebo effects, including proposed explanatory mechanisms, influencing factors, characteristics, and implications for practice and research.


METHODS
Published and unpublished articles, books, and monographs.


RESULTS
Placebo effects occur in up to 90% of nursing interventions. They may be explained by several mechanisms and are influenced by nurse/physician demeanor, patient factors, the patient-provider relationship, treatment factors, and context of the healthcare encounter.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses need to control for placebo effects when testing whether an intervention has desired effects, but once such effects have been demonstrated, nurses can make use of placebo effects to enhance the impact of their interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses can take measures to improve the patient's response to treatment, including providing a comfortable environment, using therapeutic communication techniques, helping patients to understand specific mechanisms of their treatment, and encouraging positive expectations and motivation for effectiveness.
Kwekkeboom
K L
KL
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, USA.
D015400:Clinical Nursing Research / Q000379:methods*; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000451:nursing*; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015990:Placebo Effect