BBC: 'Most family doctors' have given a patient a placebo drug

[wdb]

I just listened to a good discussion of this paper in a podcast
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=403

Starts at 31m 50s

 

[Hip]

I just listened to a good discussion of this paper in a podcast
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=403

Starts at 31m 50s

Thanks wbd, that was a good podcast, which helps clarify the poll: on the podcast they say that 97% of doctors have prescribed a placebo once or more in their career, but the definition of placebos included "positive suggestions" given to the patient, and drugs used off-label. So given this very broad definition of a "placebo", it is not surprising that so many doctors have given a "placebo" at least once in their career.

But in terms of the normal definition of a placebo (ie, a sugar pill given to a patient), only 12% of doctors have given these once or more in their career, and only 1% of doctors use these on a regular basis.