Placebo-controlled

Placebo-controlled (/pləˈsiboʊ kənˈtroʊld/) refers to a method of research in which an inactive substance (the placebo) is given to one group of participants, while the treatment being tested is given to another group. The results obtained are then compared to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

Etymology

The term "placebo-controlled" is derived from the Latin word "placebo", meaning "I shall please", and the English word "controlled", which refers to the act of exercising authoritative or dominating influence over; direct. The term is used in the context of clinical trials where a group of patients is given a placebo while another group is given the actual drug. The results are then compared to see if the drug has a significant effect over the placebo.

Related Terms

Clinical trial: A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.
Placebo: A substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.
Control group: In an experiment, the group that does not receive the experimental treatment or intervention and is used as a benchmark to measure how the other tested subjects do.
Double-blind: A type of study in which neither the participants nor the researchers know which participants are in the control group and which are in the experimental group until the study is completed.
Randomized controlled trial: A type of scientific experiment that aims to reduce bias when testing a new treatment. The people participating in the trial are randomly allocated to either the group receiving the treatment under investigation or to a group receiving standard treatment or placebo treatment as the control.