97%的英国医生对病人使用过安慰剂

时间：2013-03-22 06:49:25

（单词翻译:单击）

A survey of UK doctors found that 97% have prescribed placebo¹ treatments to patients at least once in their career. Researchers at the Universities of Oxford² and Southampton in the UK discovered that 97% of doctors have used 'impure³' placebo treatments, while 12% have used 'pure' placebos⁴.

'Impure' placebos are treatments that are unproven, such as antibiotics⁵ for suspected viral infections, or more commonly non-essential physical examinations and blood tests performed to reassure⁶ patients. 'Pure' placebos are treatments such as sugar pills or saline（盐水） injections which contain no active ingredients.

A random⁷ sample of doctors was surveyed online, and returned 783 responses. This sample was found to be representative of all UK doctors registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). The research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research, the University of Oxford Department of Primary Health Care Sciences and The Southampton Complementary Medical Research Trust. The results are published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

'This is not about doctors deceiving patients,' says Dr Jeremy Howick, co-lead author of the study from the University of Oxford, 'The study shows that placebo use is widespread in the UK, and doctors clearly believe that placebos can help patients.'

The survey showed that doctors prescribing both pure and impure placebos reported doing so for broadly similar reasons. Placebos were mainly given to either induce psychological treatment effects, because patients requested treatment or to reassure patients.

Ethical⁸ attitudes towards placebo usage varied⁹ among doctors, with 66% saying that pure placebos are ethically¹⁰ acceptable under certain circumstances and 33% saying they are never acceptable. Impure placebos were more widely accepted, with 84% of doctors deeming them acceptable.

This widespread use and acceptance of placebos is consistent with similar studies worldwide, yet they are still against General Medical Council ethical codes. 'Current ethical rulings on placebos ought to be revisited in light of the strong evidence suggesting that doctors broadly support their use,' says Dr Howick.

For both pure and impure placebos, over 90% of doctors objected to their use where it endangered patient/doctor trust and over 80% were against using them if it involved deception¹¹（欺骗）.

'This latest study with the University of Oxford demonstrates that doctors are generally using placebos in good faith to help patients,' says Professor George Lewith, co-lead author of the study from the University of Southampton, 'Other previous published studies by Southampton have clearly shown placebos can help many people and can be effective for a long time after administration. The placebo effect works by releasing our body's own natural painkillers¹² into our nervous system. In my opinion the stigma¹³ attached to placebo use is irrational¹⁴, and further investigation¹⁵ is needed to develop ethical, cost-effective placebos.'

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1 placebo
n.安慰剂；宽慰话
参考例句：
The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。 The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

2 Oxford
n.牛津（英国城市）
参考例句：
At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。 This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 impure
adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的
参考例句：
The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。 Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

4 placebos
n.（给无实际治疗需要者的）安慰剂( placebo的名词复数 )；安慰物；宽心话；（试验药物用的）无效对照剂
参考例句：
But, eventually, I think they were just kind of like placebos. 但是后来，我想它们只是安慰剂（安慰剂：没有任何药效的药）来自电影对白 But comparable numbers of those who received placebos also improved. 但是吃安慰剂的人的病情也改善了。来自互联网

5 antibiotics
n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )
参考例句：
the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现 The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

6 reassure
v.使放心，使消除疑虑
参考例句：
This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。 The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

7 random
adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动
参考例句：
The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。 On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

8 ethical
adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的
参考例句：
It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。 It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

9 varied
adj.多样的，多变化的
参考例句：
The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。 The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

10 ethically
adv.在伦理上，道德上
参考例句：
Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说，我们没有什么好羞愧的。 Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。

11 deception
n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计
参考例句：
He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。 He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

12 painkillers
n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。来自辞典例句 The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。来自时文部分

13 stigma
n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头
参考例句：
Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。 The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

14 irrational
adj.无理性的，失去理性的
参考例句：
After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。 There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。

15 investigation
n.调查，调查研究
参考例句：
In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。 He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。