Almost 75 percent of New Zealand doctors admit they have prescribed placebo medications to patients, according to research.
Researcher Shaun Holt told the Dominion Post the practice could be costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
In the survey of 157 doctors published in the New Zealand Medical Journal 72 percent of doctors said they had given out placebos, including vitamins, herbal supplements, "harmless" medications, salt water injections and sugar pills.
Dr Holt said what was more surprising was the most commonly prescribed placebos were antibiotics.
This was a concern because of the rise of antibiotic resistance and potential side-effects for patients.
A placebo is an inert medicine intended to lead the recipient to believe that it may improve their condition.
Unjustified demands by patients for medication was given as the most common reason for prescribing placebos (34 percent), followed by non-specific complaints (25 percent), and exhausting other treatment options (24 percent).
Dr Holt believed placebos were ethical "as long as the doctor considers them to be in the best interests of the patient". "The placebo effect is quite powerful," he said.
NZPA
source: newshub archive
