Placebos in pediatrics: A cross-sectional survey investigating physicians' perspectives.

J Psychosom Res

Brain and Eye Pain Imaging Lab, Pain and Affective Neuroscience Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Published: September 2023

Objective: Placebo responses are significantly higher in children than in adults, suggesting a potential underused treatment option in pediatric care. To facilitate the clinical translation of these beneficial effects, we explored physicians' current practice, opinions, knowledge, and likelihood of recommending placebos in the future.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey administered by REDCap was conducted at Boston Children's Hospital between October 2021 and March 2022. Physicians (n = 1157) were invited to participate through an email containing a link to a 23-item survey designed to assess physicians' attitudes and perceptions towards the clinical use of placebo in pediatrics.

Results: From 207 (18%) returned surveys, 109 (9%) were fully completed. Most respondents (79%) believed that enhancing the therapeutic components that contribute to the placebo response may be a way of improving pediatric care. However, whereas most (62%) found placebo treatments permissible, only one-third reported recommending them. In pediatrics, placebos are typically introduced as a medicine that "might help" (43%). The most common treatments recommended to enhance placebo effects are physical therapy, vitamins, and over-the-counter analgesics. Physicians most frequently recommend placebos for occasional pain, headaches, and anxiety disorders. Finally, the great majority of physicians (87%) stated they would be more likely to recommend placebo treatments if there were safety and ethical guidelines for open-label placebos.

Conclusions: Placebo treatments seem permissible to physicians in pediatric care, but the development of safety and ethical guidelines may be necessary before physicians systematically incorporate the benefits of the placebo effect in pediatrics.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111421DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

pediatric care
12
placebo treatments
12
placebo
8
treatments permissible
8
safety ethical
8
ethical guidelines
8
physicians
5
placebos
4
placebos pediatrics
4
pediatrics cross-sectional
4

Similar Publications

An update on multiple breath washout in children with cystic fibrosis.

Expert Rev Respir Med

December 2024

Division of Respiratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Introduction: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene, leading to progressive lung disease and systemic complications. Lung disease remains the primary cause of morbidity and mortality, making early detection of lung function decline crucial. The Lung Clearance Index (LCI), derived from the multiple breath washout (MBW) test, has emerged as a sensitive measure for identifying early airway disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Time-Drive Activity-Based Costing (TDABC) in Otolaryngology: A Scoping Review.

Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg

December 2024

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.

Objective: Accurately measuring the cost of a clinical process is critical to identifying ways to increase the value of a healthcare process. The objective of this study was to review time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) in otolaryngology and to illustrate areas where value may be increased.

Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL Complete, and Business Source Complete from database inception to August 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

SHIP-1 regulates the differentiation and function of Tregs via inhibiting mTORC1 activity.

Cell Mol Life Sci

December 2024

Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.

Cell metabolism is crucial for orchestrating the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, the underlying mechanism that coordinates cell metabolism to regulate Treg activity is not completely understood. As a pivotal molecule in lipid metabolism, the role of SHIP-1 in Tregs remains unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To know the nurses' attitudes toward family involvement in nursing care and factors that can influence it.

Design: A cross-sectional design study was carried out on 253 clinical nurses.

Methods: Data was collected from 253 clinical nurses using the Families' Importance in Nursing Care-Nurses' Attitudes Scale, the Demand-Control-Support Questionnaire (DCSQ) and the Iceland Health Care Practitioner Illness Beliefs Questionnaire.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clinical course and management of pediatric gastroduodenal perforation beyond neonatal period.

Pediatr Neonatol

December 2024

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address:

Background: The treatments and outcomes of pediatric gastroduodenal perforations have rarely been described.

Methods: We retrospectively identified 515 patients aged 28 days to 17 years who were hospitalized for gastroduodenal perforation between July 2010 and March 2021 using a nationwide inpatient database. We compared characteristics, treatments, and outcomes for pediatric gastroduodenal perforation between children aged <7 years (n = 38) and ≥7 years (n = 477).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!