The use of pure and impure placebo interventions in primary care - a qualitative approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Placebos play an important role in clinical trials and several surveys have shown that they are also common in daily practice. Previous research focused primarily on the frequency of placebo use in outpatient care. Our aim was to explore physicians' views on the use of placebos in daily practice, whereby distinction was made between pure placebos (substances with no pharmacological effect, e.g. sugar pills) and impure placebos (substances with pharmacological effect but not on the condition being treated, e.g. antibiotics in viral infections or vitamins).

Methods

We performed semi-structured interviews with a sample of twelve primary care physicians (PCPs). The interview addressed individual definitions of a placebo, attitudes towards placebos and the participants

SUBMITTER: Fent R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3068943 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature