By: LISA R. WILSON

A new study conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that half of U.S. doctors surveyed say they regularly give their patients placebo treatments—drugs and/or vitamins that they knowingly admit won’t help the patient’s condition. Placebos have traditionally been thought of as sugar pills, but placebos in this sense include any medication that is not designed to help or treat a patient.

“It’s a disturbing finding,” said Franklin G. Miller, director of the research ethics program at NIH. “There is an element of deception here which is contrary to the principle of informed consent.”

Researchers at NIH sent surveys to 1,200 random internists and rheumatologists, and they received 679 responses. Of those doctors, 62% believed that using a placebo treatment was ethically acceptable, 51% reported using placebos several times a month, and 70% of those doctors described the treatment to their patients as “a potentially beneficial medicine not typically used for your condition.”

Further, the doctors who use placebos have used actual medicines as the placebo treatment: 41% have used painkillers, 13% have used sedatives and 3% have given saline injections. Smaller studies done elsewhere, including Britain, Denmark and Sweden, have found similar results.

“I would feel very cheated if I was given a placebo,” said Ruth Schachter, an 86-year-old skin cancer patient. “I like to have my eyes wide open, even if it’s bad news. If I’m given something without being warned what it is, I certainly would not trust the doctor again.”

Improper treatment of a patient by a physician is the leading cause of medical malpractice. There can be a variety of circumstances in which a patient is misdiagnosed and subjected to improper treatment and preventable procedures, such as wrong limb amputation, wrong organ operation/transplant, inappropriate administration of chemotherapy, and/or medication errors.

The emotional impact felt by patients who discover that they have been a victim of improper treatment, such as being given placebos, can be serious. Like Ms. Schachter, a patient is likely to develop a lack of trust and apprehension towards physicians and further medical procedures following such a preventable, and arguably unnecessary, experience. And this situation can turn grave if medical treatment being avoided is critical to sustain life.

If you believe you have suffered from medical malpractice of any kind, or for more information about improper medical treatment, contact a qualified medical malpractice attorney in your area today to discuss the specifics of your case.