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Doctor Skeptic: Why placebo surgery is ethical, and necessary

record updated
item type
article on a website
author
Doctor Skeptic
link
http://doctorskeptic.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-placebo-surgery-is-ethic [snip!]
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journal
Doctorskeptic.blogspot.ca
year
2012
month
Nov 29

PainSci notes

Placebo surgery: necessary, ethical? Yes! Here’s a fine short post on this topic from Doctor Skeptic (doctorskeptic.blogspot.com.au). You “need a placebo [surgery] trial when the outcomes are ‘soft’ (subjective: pain).” I’ve been arguing this for many, many years. We really need to compare surgeries for pain problems to shams, because, by golly, that method sure does reveal some useless surgeries. One of the best examples of why is Moseley’s fascinating 2002 knee trial.

~ Paul Ingraham, PainSci Publisher

Related Content

  1. Surgery: The ultimate placebo (book), by Ian Harris (book review).
  2. “The evidence on surgical interventions for low back disorders, an overview of systematic reviews,” Jacobs et al, European Spine Journal, 2013.
  3. “Sham Surgery in Orthopedics: A Systematic Review of the Literature,” Louw et al, Pain Med, 2016.

These two articles on PainScience.com cite this item as a source:

  1. The Complete Guide to Low Back Pain
  2. Tennis Elbow Guide

PainSci Member Login » Submit your email to unlock member content. If you can’t remember/access your registration email, please contact me. ~ Paul Ingraham, PainSci Publisher