HESI A2 Vocabulary 2024 Related

Review HESI A2 Vocabulary 2024 related questions and content

What is the meaning of the word 'placebo' in the following sentence: 'Ten patients will receive the experimental drug while 10 take a placebo'?

  • A. Fallback
  • B. Substitute
  • C. Control
  • D. Curative
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In the context of the sentence, the word 'placebo' refers to a substance or treatment that resembles a real medical treatment but has no therapeutic effect. It is used as a standard against which the effects of the experimental drug are compared. A placebo is typically included in a control group in medical research to evaluate the actual effects of the experimental drug. Therefore, in this scenario, the placebo serves as a control to gauge the effectiveness of the experimental drug, making choice C the correct answer. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because a placebo is not a fallback, substitute, or curative treatment in this context.