AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/placebo
Placebo
A placebo is a fake or dummy treatment that looks the same as the real one and is given to the control group of a trial.
Summary
- The placebo effect is an effect caused because someone has had, or thinks they have had, care or attention.
- Comparing a treatment with a placebo shows how much more it does than the placebo effect alone.
- Where a proven treatment already exists, the control group usually gets that standard treatment rather than a placebo.
Interview questions
- Why do some trials give one group a dummy treatment?
- A patient in a trial asks whether they are taking the placebo. What do you tell them?
- Is it ever right for a doctor to prescribe a placebo outside a trial?
Sources
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More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.