A Questionnaire-Based Examination of Placebo Prescribing Patterns among the Doctors at Tertiary Healthcare Services

Background: The major theme of the research is relieving the patients by prescribing the placebo prescription by the health care provider of tertiary health care services.

Materials and methods: Descriptive cross-sectional research was conducted for the period of one year from February 2020 to January 2021 at various government and private tertiary care institutes of Nawab Shah, Kotri, Jamshoro and Hyderabad Districts after approval of the ethical committee of concern institutes and total 238 study subjects were selected.

Results: The consequences of placebo prescription were approximately 80%. 137 were males and 101 were females. 130(54.62%) Doctors were from the government sector, 108(45.37%) were from private institutes. 21(8.8%) placebo prescriptions was assumed as alternative medicine, 52(21.84%) as Prebiotics, 63(26.47%) as saline injections. 41(17.22%) placebo was prescribed because patients need them, 67(28.5%) placebo was prescribed for psychological therapy. 41(17.22%) placebo was usually effective, 129(54.2%) were sometimes effective, 20(8.40%) never had any effect and 48(20.16%) had other outcomes for the placebo prescriptions.

Conclusion: Descriptive cross-sectional research was conducted for the period of one year from February 2020 to January 2021 at various government and private tertiary care institutes of Nawab Shah, Kotri, Jamshoro and Hyderabad Districts after approval of the ethical committee of concerned institutes