Placebos for Patients?
Is it ethical to prescribe a placebo for a patient?
Jim deMaine, MD
Kevin MD
February 2, 2012
Our formulary at that time (a number of years ago) carried a “drug” called Obecalp. As you might have guessed this is Placebo spelled backwards and was doled out now and then but I had never prescribed it. Nancy begged me to try it for her Mom, “It can’t do any harm, why not? I know doctors don’t want to deceive patients, but I’m desperate and so’s Mom!”
Jim deMaine, MD
Kevin MD
February 2, 2012
Our formulary at that time (a number of years ago) carried a “drug” called Obecalp. As you might have guessed this is Placebo spelled backwards and was doled out now and then but I had never prescribed it. Nancy begged me to try it for her Mom, “It can’t do any harm, why not? I know doctors don’t want to deceive patients, but I’m desperate and so’s Mom!”
Labels: medical ethics; bioethics; hospital ethics committees
posted by Practical Bioethics at
7:24 AM
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