Placebo Effect of Saline in Pain Management: Compared Study with Hemodialysis and Non-hemodialysis Nurses' Experiences

Objectives: To identify and compare hemodialysis and non-hemodialysis nurses' experiences about the placebo effect of intravenous saline injection in pain management.
Methods: This descriptive study design was carried out between January 22nd - February 4th, 2012 with 202 voluntary nurses who work in hemodialysis and medical-surgical clinics. An online survey system was used for data collecting. Cookie and IP logging prevented multiple voting. The survey contained 21 questions. Data were evaluated by descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test.
Results: The mean age of the nurses was 31.13±6.03 years. Fifty-two point five percent (n=106) of the nurses were working in a hemodialysis unit while the others (45.5%) were from other clinics such as medical and surgical units. While 68.4% of the hemodialysis nurses stated that they “sometimes” use placebo, 62.7% of the non-hemodialysis nurses stated that they “rarely” use placebo. In hemodialysis nurses, “always” believing the patient's pain was significantly lower than expected count. This ratio was found more than expected in non-hemodialysis nurses (p=0.006). Hemodialysis nurses stated that “the use of placebo is not necessary to be recorded”. However, non-hemodialysis nurses stated more than expected that “the placebo usage should be recorded” (p=0.006).
Conclusion: Hemodialysis nurses are more likely to use saline injection as a placebo in pain management rather than non-hemodialysis nurses. However, non-hemodialysis nurses believe the patient's pain more than hemodialysis nurses do. This makes placebo usage for the first step choice among hemodialysis nurses.