Journal
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
Volume 181, Issue -, Pages 272-+Publisher
MOSBY-ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2016.10.018
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Funding
- Swedish Research Council [437-2014-6767]
- Swiss National Science Foundation [P300P1_158427]
- National Institutes of Health/National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health [2k24 AT004095]
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [P300P1_158427] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
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Objective To assess parental attitudes regarding placebo use in pediatric randomized controlled trials and clinical care. Study design Parents with children under age 18 years living in the US completed and submitted an online survey between September and November 2014. Results Among all 1300 participants, 1000 (76.9%; 538 mothers and 462 fathers) met the study inclusion criteria. The majority of surveyed parents considered the use of placebos acceptable in some pediatric care situations (86%) and some pediatric trials (91.5%), whereas only 5.7% of parents found the use of placebos in children always unacceptable. The clinical use of placebo was considered acceptable by a majority of parents for only 7 (mostly psychological) of the 17 conditions presented. Respondents' judgment about acceptability was influenced by the doctors' opinions about the therapeutic benefits of placebo treatment, the conditions for pediatric placebo use, transparency, safety, and purity of placebos. Conclusion Most surveyed parents accepted the idea of using placebos in pediatric trials and within the clinic for some conditions without the practice of deception and with the creation of guidelines for ethical and safe use. This study suggests a need to reconsider pediatric trial design and clinical therapy in the light of generally positive parental support of appropriate placebo use.
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