Risk 148 - Placebo Effect

Course overview

This course identifies the human placebo effect, cites scientific support for its existence, and addresses associated ethical issues that face Occupational Therapy and Physical therapy healthcare providers. Attention is given to states' strict prohibitions against deception, dishonesty, and exaggeration of treatment results. That notwithstanding, aspects of placebo can and do benefit patient outcomes throughout provider-patient interactions that fully comply with providers' ethical duties to their patients. We address how a provider may appoint their office, communicate with their patients and structure patient encounters so as to ethically foster encouragement, enhance patient participation in recovery, and positively influence treatment outcomes.