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Investigating placebo effects in irritable bowel syndrome: A novel research design
Contemporary Clinical Trials
Short Title: Investigating placebo effects in irritable bowel syndrome
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: n.d.
Pages: 123-134
Sources ID: 22975
Visibility: Private
Zotero Collections: Contexts of Contemplation Project
Abstract: (Show)
Little is known about placebo effects with scientific precision. Poor methodology has confounded our understanding of the magnitude and even the existence of the placebo effect. Investigating placebo effects presents special research challenges including: the design of appropriate controls for studying placebo effects including separating such effects from natural history and regression to the mean, the need for large sample sizes to capture expected small effects, and the need to understand such potential effects from a patient's perspective. This article summarizes the methodology of an ongoing NIH-funded randomized controlled trial aimed at investigating whether the placebo effect in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) exists and whether the magnitude of such an effect can be manipulated to vary in a manner analogous to “dose dependence.” The trial also uses an innovative combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.
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