Home › Research › Risk factors
Placebo interventions for all clinical conditions
Hróbjartsson A, Gøtzsche PC.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2010-01-20
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Main results Outcome data were available in 202 out of 234 included trials, investigating 60 clinical conditions.
Key findings
- Main results Outcome data were available in 202 out of 234 included trials, investigating 60 clinical conditions.
Why it matters
This review of placebo interventions reported outcome data from 202 of 234 included trials across 60 clinical conditions. It does not report any finding about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Risk factors, ranked →
Study details
- Participants6,041
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 71/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Cochrane database of systematic reviews) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: journal h-index 468 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A meta-analysis pooling many studies (from PubMed type “Meta-Analysis”) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2010 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 6,041 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 765 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 42.5 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 32.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 90 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Peter Christian Gøtzsche: h-index 92 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Rigshospitalet: institution h-index 882 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20091554) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 71 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd003974.pub3
- PubMed: 20091554
- Original source →
- Free full text: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hróbjartsson, A., & Gøtzsche, P. C. (2010). Placebo interventions for all clinical conditions. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd003974.pub3
Vancouver
Hróbjartsson A, Gøtzsche PC. Placebo interventions for all clinical conditions. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2010. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd003974.pub3. PMID: 20091554.
BibTeX
@article{hrobjartsson2010-20091554,
author = {Hróbjartsson, A. and Gøtzsche, P. C.},
title = {{Placebo interventions for all clinical conditions}},
journal = {The Cochrane database of systematic reviews},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1002/14651858.cd003974.pub3},
pmid = {20091554},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd003974.pub3}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Related studies in Risk factors
Also in Risk factors
356 studies in the library are filed under Risk factors with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Risk factors hub.