Questionnaire survey on use of placebo

Abstract

Objectives To gauge the frequency and circumstances of use of placebo in clinical practice and the attitudes towards its use among those who administer it. Design Retrospective questionnaire. Setting Two large hospitals and various community clinics in the Jerusalem area. Participants 31 physicians working in hospital inpatient and outpatient departments, 31 head nurses working in hospital inpatient departments, and 27 family physicians working in community clinics. Main outcome measures Self report of frequency and circumstances of, and attitudes towards, use of placebo. Results Among the 89 respondents, 53 (60%) used placebos (95% confidence interval 49% to 70%). Among users, 33 (62%) prescribed a placebo as often as once a month or more; 36 (68%) told patients they were receiving actual medication; 15 (28%) considered that placebos were a diagnostic tool; and 48/51 (94%) reported that they found placebos generally or occasionally effective. Conclusion Most practitioners questioned in this study continue to use placebos. Used wisely, placebos might have a legitimate place in therapeutics. Wider recognition of the practice and debate about its implications are imperative.

Use of placebo: Knowledge, attitude and practice among medical practitioners

“…However, it can be certainly concluded that there is high prevalence of placebo use in clinical practice. Consistent with previous studies, [2,5] this study also found that most of the doctors believed that the effect of placebo was attributable to a psychological mechanism. …”

“…With 27% of the GPs reporting daily use of placebo, this group seems to be the highest placebo user, possibly due to reasons like limited diagnostic skills, giving in to patients' demands, etc. Frequent use of placebo as a diagnostic tool (32.2%), a Þ nding consistent with that of an Israel study, [2] can be potentially harmful to patients.…”

“…About 75% (68/90) of the practitioners opined in favor of psychological mechanism for A survey of GPs reported 86% prevalence of use of placebo at least once within the past year, and 48% using placebo treatments more than 10 times in the past year. [4] Another study reported 60% prevalence, [2] a national survey of U.S. internists and rheumatologists showed 55% prevalence [3] while a study of U.S. academic physicians reported 45% prevalence. [5] Our study showed higher (89%) prevalence of placebo prescribing; and of these, 80% reported using it more than 10 times a year.…”

“…[1] Literature search revealed a few studies related to the use of placebo in therapy. [2,3] The present study was undertaken to evaluate the practice and pattern of use of placebo among medical practitioners and their knowledge and attitude regarding placebo.…”

“…A questionnaire prepared based on earlier study [2] was validated. The 3 groups of prescribers (30 in each group) were personally approached.…”