Open-label placebos: harnessing the effect without the deception

There is increasing evidence suggesting that placebos remain effective, for example for the treatment of chronic pain, even when patients are aware that what they are receiving contains no active ingredients. The barriers and drivers to the adoption of open-label placebos (OLP) have been explored by GEM doctoral student Odile Hettler under the supervision of Professor Charles-Clemens Rüling, coordinator of the Chair for Public Trust in Health at Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM). The knowledge acquired could not only assist OLP adoption and thus the management of chronic pain but also contribute valuable information for the adoption of healthcare innovations more generally. Locally, the expertise is particularly relevant and complementary with respect to the many innovative technologies under development across the GIANT campus.