If a trial participant asks you to explain what a placebo is and why it may be used, how would you answer?

"I would explain to the participant that a placebo is an inactive pill, liquid, or powder with no treatment value. I would further explain that in a placebo-controlled trial, some portion of the participants will receive a placebo instead of an active drug or experimental treatment and that this is done to assess the experimental treatment's effectiveness and safety versus no treatment at all. I would likely go a step further and explain who in the study would know if the participant received a placebo and who would not."

"I will tell the participant that a placebo is a liquid, powder, or pill that has no treatment value and is used in clinical trials to determine the difference between the active drug or experiment compared to no treatment at all. I would also explain the benefits and risks so they understood going into the trial that they may not receive any treatment."