Clinical Products and Education

In this course, health care providers gain practical tools to optimize placebo effects and minimize nocebo effects through communication.

New from February 2025:
This course now includes a brand-new chapter: "Communicating Expectations During Medication Tapering."

Developed with the Simulation Crew, this tool enhances communication between patients and healthcare providers. It combines evidence-based techniques, theoretical foundations, and practical exercises with virtual patients. The training reflects the latest scientific insights and expert consensus (Evers et al., 2018, DOI: 10.1159/000490354).

At the 1st International Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS) in 2017, 29 leading placebo researchers joined a survey and expert meeting. They agreed that enhancing placebo effects and reducing nocebo effects should improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects.

At the 2019 SIPS conference, an expert meeting and survey focused on three areas: (1) informing patients about placebo and (2) nocebo effects, and (3) training clinicians to communicate this effectively.

The placebo effect has been studied since the 1950’s, starting with the original 1955 study of Beecher. In this course we will discuss several postulated underlying mechanisms of the placebo effect (e.g. expectancy, conditioning, affect-modulation, and doctor-patient communication). Furthermore we will debate the existence of the placebo effect and discuss the challenges in measuring the effect. Questions that will be addressed are for instance: can you deliver an open label placebo? Is it ethical to prescribe a placebo when a patient doesn’t know he is getting a sugar pill? Does the placebo effect exist outside of pain medication research? You will experience the strength of the placebo effect first hand in an experiment during the course.

The assessment of the course will exist of the presentation of a research proposal for studying the placebo effect.

IPS offers education on placebo and nocebo effects, communication, and related topics. Below is a selection of relevant Bachelor courses that IPS contributes to:

• Personality, Clinical and Health Psychology (Mandatory course 1st year)
• Stress, Health & Disease (Mandatory course 2nd year)
• Health and Medical Psychology (Specialization course 2nd year/3rd year)
• Cross-cultural Psychology of Health and Illness (Elective 2nd year/3rd year)
• Pharmacological & Biological Approaches to Clinical and Health Psychology (Elective 2nd year/3rd year)
• Psychology of Stress and Health (Mandatory course) – Bachelor Leiden University College
• Numerous Bachelor Projects

IPS contributes to education on placebo and nocebo effects, communication, and related topics. Below is a selection of relevant Master courses that IPS contributes to:

• Psychological Assessment and Interventions in Chronic Disease (Mandatory course) – Master Psychology: specialization Health and Medical Psychology
• Health Psychology: From Research to Practice (Elective) – Master Psychology
• Research Topics in Health Promotion (Mandatory course) – Research Master Psychology: Clinical and Health Psychology
• Numerous Master theses

IPS contributes to education on placebo and nocebo effects, communication, and related topics. Below is a selection of relevant external courses that IPS contributes to:

• The Placebo Effect (Course NIHES) – Erasmus MC
• Medical Psychology (Minor) – Erasmus MC
• Medicine ‘Soma & Psyche’ (Elective) – Amsterdam UMC
• Placebo Effect (Lecture) – Research Master Psychology, Maastricht University
• Lecture delivering bad news – Erasmus MC
• Numerous Master theses

The first Erasmus Summer school on placebo and nocebo effects of the PANACEA Consortium took place in 2024, in Madrid. It offered high-level interdisciplinary training to students on placebo and nocebo effects from various UNA Europa Universities.

Students from several UNA Europa universities (Leiden University, KU Leuven, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna), Jagiellonian University) dove into the fascinating world of placebo and nocebo effects in this high-level, interdisciplinary training. They gained valuable insights into the mechanisms and potential uses of the placebo effect through engaging modules on placebo and nocebo research, clinical applications, and ethical considerations. Interactive group activities sparked lively discussions and promoted the exchange of innovative ideas about placebo and its application in medical practice.