Placebo effects of nurses' communication alongside standard medical care on pain and other outcomes: a randomized controlled trial in clinical tonsillectomy care.

A lesser-known mechanism of placebo effects is empathy. A relatively unexplored, promising perspective is the role of clinician communication in eliciting placebo effects. A landmark study found that placebo-acupuncture delivered by a confident, empathic clinician produced significant changes in irritable bowel syndrome patients’ outcomes . In subsequent experimental studies, we disentangled the effects of clinician expectancy and empathy.