Fig 1.
More respondents from Canada reported using various forms of placebo treatments.
Response rates among academic internists and rheumatologists from Canada and the US when asked if they have prescribed or given various forms of treatment in situations without demonstrated or expected clinical efficacy. Columns depict the total use of a placebo and placebo-like intervention and colors indicate subgrouping according to responses on survey questions. Shading of Canada-based data reflects the percentage of respondents that, for the following question, reported prescribing/administering (pink) or never prescribing/administering (red) a placebo in clinical practice. Stars denote significant differences between groups as determined by chi-square comparisons (★<0.05, ★★<0.005).
Table 1.
Placebo attitudes and ways in which physicians would describe placebos to patients.
Table 2.
Comparison of Canadian and American response distributions for questions regarding the therapeutic mechanisms and potential of placebos and placebo-like therapies.