Questionnaire survey on use of placebo

doi:10.1136/bmj.38236.646678.55

BMJ 2004;329:944-946 (23 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.38236.646678.55 (published 17 September 2004)

Paper

Questionnaire survey on use of placebo

Uriel Nitzan, medical student¹, Pesach Lichtenberg, lecturer¹

¹ Herzog Hospital and Hadassah School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, POB 35300, Jerusalem 91351, Israel

Correspondence to: P Lichtenberg licht{at}cc.huji.ac.il

Objectives To gauge the frequency and circumstances of use ofplacebo in clinical practice and the attitudes towards its useamong those who administer it.

Design Retrospective questionnaire.

Setting Two large hospitals and various community clinics inthe Jerusalem area.

Participants 31 physicians working in hospital inpatient andoutpatient departments, 31 head nurses working in hospital inpatientdepartments, and 27 family physicians working in community clinics.

Main outcome measures Self report of frequency and circumstancesof, 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%) prescribeda placebo as often as once a month or more; 36 (68%) told patientsthey were receiving actual medication; 15 (28%) considered thatplacebos were a diagnostic tool; and 48/51 (94%) reported thatthey found placebos generally or occasionally effective.

Conclusion Most practitioners questioned in this study continueto use placebos. Used wisely, placebos might have a legitimateplace in therapeutics. Wider recognition of the practice anddebate about its implications are imperative.

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