Abstract
The effectiveness of many medical interventions hinges in part on the 'placebo effect,' a person's self-healing power that is stimulated by his or her belief in medical treatments. Health professionals can incite that same effect by giving the patient a chemically inactive pill without revealing its true nature. This strategy is ethically problematic because it conflicts with the patient's right to autonomy. However, the alternative - prescribing a 'real' drug - entails harms too, such as unpleasant or dangerous side effects, and more encompassing problems such as microbial drug resistance. This article examines whether placebo treatment is a form of patient deception and, if so, in what circumstances - if ever - such deceit can be justified.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics |
Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
Pages | 453-460 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780123739322 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2012 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Social Sciences(all)