Placebo use in clinical practice by nurses in an Iranian teaching hospital

The present study was carried out to explore Iranian nurses’ use of placebos in clinical practice and their knowledge and attitude towards its use. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using self-report questionnaires. All nurses working in a university hospital in Arak (n = 342) were...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Baghcheghi, Nayereh (Author) ; Koohestani, Hamid Reza (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Sage 2011
In: Nursing ethics
Year: 2011, Volume: 18, Issue: 3, Pages: 364-373
Further subjects:B placebo use
B Nurses
B Clinical Practice
B Placebo effect
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The present study was carried out to explore Iranian nurses’ use of placebos in clinical practice and their knowledge and attitude towards its use. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using self-report questionnaires. All nurses working in a university hospital in Arak (n = 342) were invited to participate in the study. Among 295 respondents, 221 (75%) reported that they had used at least one placebo within the past year and 179 (81%) told patients they were receiving actual medication. The most common reason and symptom for placebo use were after unjustified demand for medication and pain, respectively. Only 60 (20.33%) of the nurses believed that placebos should never be used. Results showed that most nurses in our study had used placebos and probably will continue to use them. Placebo use is viewed as ethically permissible among nurses. Some patients benefit from the placebos, but their use raises ethical questions. The role of placebo treatment, its mechanisms, and its ethics issues should be taught to nurses.
ISSN:1477-0989
Contains:Enthalten in: Nursing ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0969733011398093