ArticleThe journal of pain2021
Treating Pain With Open-Label Placebos: A Qualitative Study With Post-Surgical Pain Patients.
Article in The journal of pain, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic qualitative review of ethical issues in open label placebo in published research.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Updating UK clinical guidelines to incorporate the placebo effect in peri-operative care: challenges and opportunities.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Open label placebo to treat fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis: feasibility and preliminary effects.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2025Article
- Talking placebo: a qualitative study of patients' attitudes toward open-label placebo implementation into clinical practice.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- How orthopedic surgeons view open label placebo pills: Ethical and effective, but opposed to personal use.Journal of psychosomatic research · 2021Article
- Can the Open Label Placebo Rationale Be Optimized?Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Prior research has shown that Open Label Placebos (OLPs; that is, placebos described honestly as inactive pills) are effective for a variety of clinical conditions, including pain. However, little is known about patient attitudes towards OLPs. We conducted qualitative interviews with n = 11 patients (73% female) who recently had hand or wrist surgery and took ≥ 1 opioid pill. Interview topics included: pain management, the placebo effect, and in particular, attitudes towards OLPs. Interviews were analyzed inductively and content-coded. Five themes were identified: 1) Role of the mind in pain and illness, 2) Shortcomings of opioids are the strengths of OLPs, 3) Perceptions of OLP effectiveness, 4) Relational aspects of OLP administration, and 5) Practical considerations for OLP implementation. Most patients agreed that, because of their transparency, OLPs are ethical. Participants indicated some degree of reluctance about using OLPs, but the majority said they would take OLPs if prescribed by a doctor. Patients noted that the primary disadvantage of opioids is their potency, which can lead to addiction or side-effects; by contrast, the primary advantage of placebos is their inertness. Results suggest that OLPs appear to be well received as a postoperative pain treatment among the patients in this study. PERSPECTIVE: This qualitative study examines how hand surgery patients view OLPs, which are placebos described honestly as inactive pills. OLPs were generally well received by patients as a treatment for pain after surgery and could be considered as an adjunctive treatment to potentially reduce reliance on prescription opioids.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.