Physiotherapists' Placebo or Nocebo Communication Regarding VR

HAN University of Applied Sciences

Status: Completed

Conditions: Communication

Treatments: Other: Video placebo communication; Other: Video nocebo communication

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06307912

202301

Details and patient eligibility

About

Rationale: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a common and disabling condition. Physiotherapy is the most frequently administered nonpharmacological treatment option for patients with CMP and recently virtual reality (VR) was introduced in physiotherapy care as a novel treatment modality. Proper communication about physiotherapy treatment (modalities) is important to improve treatment outcomes, by applying placebo effects enhancing communication and avoiding nocebo effects enhancing communication. However, yet is still unknown to what extent this applies to communication of physiotherapists about VR in healthy participants.

Objective: To determine the effect of physiotherapists' placebo or nocebo therapeutic communication about VR, on treatment credibility and expectation in healthy participants.

Study design: Web-based randomized controlled trial.

Study population: 126 participants

Intervention: The placebo intervention group will be shown an educational video about VR, containing placebo effects enhancing verbal language. The nocebo intervention group will be shown an educational video about VR, containing nocebo effects enhancing verbal language.

Primary study parameters: The primary study parameters are treatment credibility and treatment expectation. Treatment credibility and treatment expectations will be measured using the Dutch credibility and expectancy questionnaire (CEQ).

Enrollment: 126 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged ≥ 18
• access to the internet
• provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• lacked comprehension of the Dutch language
• had experience with therapeutic VR
• suffers from CMP

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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126 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Placebo group

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

The placebo intervention group will be shown an online educational VR video.

Treatment:

Other: Video placebo communication

Nocebo group

Experimental group

Description:

The nocebo intervention group will be shown an online educational VR video.

Treatment:

Other: Video nocebo communication