97% of doctors ‘have prescribed placebo drugs’
NEARLY all doctors have given their patients placebos, a study has found. Researchers say 97 per cent admitted giving ‘impure’ placebos – those which have medicinal value but are unproven in the illness they are given for – at least once.
Meanwhile, 12 per cent had used ‘pure’ placebos, such as sugar pills.
Oxford research fellow Dr Jeremy Howick said: ‘ This i s not about doctors deceiving patients. The study shows placebo use is widespread in the UK, and doctors clearly believe placebos can help patients.’
Doctors said they gave placebos when patients asked for treatment, to reassure, or for a psychological effect.
Placebo usage goes against GMC ethical codes, although Dr Howick said these should be ‘revisited in light of the strong evidence suggesting doctors broadly support their use.’
Of doctors surveyed, 66 per cent said pure placebos were acceptable in some circumstances, while 33 per cent said they were never acceptable. Impure placebos were considered acceptable by 84 per cent of doctors.
More than 90 per cent objected to using either type if it endangered patient/doctor trust, but nearly 20 per cent said they might use placebos even if it involved deception.
The study, by academics at the universities of Oxford and Southampton, surveyed a random sample of doctors online, receiving 783 responses.