How can clinicians magnify the placebo effect: by administering sham treatments without patient knowledge, making positive suggestions about a treatment, making negative suggestions about a treatment, or being unaware of the treatment condition?

From the Guidelines

Clinicians may magnify the placebo effect by making positive suggestions about a treatment. When healthcare providers express confidence in a treatment's effectiveness or highlight its potential benefits, they can enhance the patient's expectations and belief in the treatment, which strengthens the placebo response. This approach is supported by strategies outlined in patient-clinician communication guidelines, such as assessing the patient's understanding of their disease status and treatment history, and determining their goals of care and treatment preferences 1. Key communication behaviors that facilitate hope and positive expectations include reframing and nonabandonment, as noted in the American Society of Clinical Oncology consensus guideline 1. Some examples of positive suggestions that can magnify the placebo effect include:

• Assuring the patient that you as their clinician will do everything you can to help them get the best possible outcome
• Using reframing techniques, such as asking the patient about their hopes and expectations
• Expressing confidence in the treatment's effectiveness and highlighting its potential benefits
• Providing emotional support and reassurance through nonabandonment statements, such as "I will do everything I can to support you" 1. By incorporating these positive communication strategies into clinical practice, clinicians can harness the power of the placebo effect to improve treatment outcomes and enhance patient care.

From the Research

Clinicians and the Placebo Effect

• Clinicians may magnify the placebo effect by making positive suggestions about a treatment 2
• This can be achieved through techniques such as framing health decisions in a way that motivates patients to make choices that are less biased and more conducive to their long-term goals
• The use of behavioral psychology in clinical interactions can help clinicians promote their patients' interests and enhance their autonomy
• However, it is essential to note that administering sham treatments without patient knowledge is not an ethical or recommended approach
• Making negative suggestions about a treatment or being unaware of the treatment condition are also not effective ways to magnify the placebo effect
• Instead, clinicians should focus on using evidence-based medicine and shared decision making to improve medical decision making and patient outcomes 3, 4