Physiotherapists' Placebo or Nocebo Communication Regarding VR in CMP

HAN University of Applied Sciences

Status: Completed

Conditions: Chronic Pain; Communication

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

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06282757

202302

Details and patient eligibility

About

Rationale: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a common and disabling condition. Physiotherapy is the most frequently administered non-pharmacological 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 patients with CMP.

Objective: To determine the effect of physiotherapists' placebo or nocebo therapeutic communication about VR, on treatment credibility and expectation in patients with CMP

Study design: Web-based randomized controlled trial.

Study population: 100 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: 115 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• aged ≥ 18
• access to the internet
• provide informed consent
• suffers from CMP

Exclusion criteria

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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115 participants in 2 patient groups

Placebo group

Experimental group

Description:

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

Treatment:

Other: Video placebo communication

Nocebo group

Active Comparator group

Description:

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

Treatment:

Other: Video nocebo communication