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Reviews PERSONAL VIEW

The death of the white coat?

BMJ 2004; 328 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7430.57 (Published 01 January 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:57

Rapid Response:

The demise of the 'white coat' signals a significant reduction in the efficacy of therapeutic interventions

Dear Sir,

We read with interest the article by Ayan Panya detailing the demise
of the ‘white coat’ in hospital medicine. We are naturally concerned at
the loss of this significant placebo effect and the inherent costs that
will be incurred by the NHS as a result. We are nevertheless reassured
that at least some of the costs that arise as a result will, to a large
extent, be compensated for by a reduction in the hospital laundry bill.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

07 January 2004
Tim Lane
Specialist Registrar and Honorary Clinical Lecturer
Fiona Myint, Consultant Surgeon
Lister Hospital, Stevenage