caa a22 4500 477057713 CHVBK 20180405111351.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170330e19960701xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s002280050120 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s002280050120 Hróbjartsson A. Department of Medical Philosophy and Clinical Theory Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, 3 Blegdamsvej, DK-2200 N, Denmark aut The uncontrollable placebo effect [Elektronische Daten] [A. Hróbjartsson] Objective: To analyse the role of the control group in the methodology of clinical placebo effect evaluating trials. Setting: Department of Medical Philosophy and Clinical Theory, University of Copenhagen. Methods: A theoretical methodological analysis. Results: At least with present trial designs, it is impossible, with certainty, to exclude a potential placebo effect from the so-called control group. The placebo effect, in other words, is uncontrollable. Conclusion: I suggest that the notions of control group and placebo treatment group are replaced by the notions of "placebo effect maximising group” and "placebo effect minimising group”, thus stressing the fact that what such trials measure is a relative effect, and an underestimation of the absolute placebo effect. The illusion of absolute placebo effect evaluation must be acknowledged when articles referring to empirical trials on the placebo effect are interpreted. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 1996 Key words Placebo effect nationallicence Research methodology nationallicence Control groups nationallicence https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050120 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s002280050120 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Hróbjartsson A. Department of Medical Philosophy and Clinical Theory Faculty of Health, University of Copenhagen, 3 Blegdamsvej, DK-2200 N, Denmark aut Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer