| Title |
Are Treatments More Effective than Placebos? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
PLOS ONE, May 2013
|
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0062599 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Jeremy Howick, Claire Friedemann, Maria Tsakok, Robert Watson, Teresa Tsakok, Jennifer Thomas, Rafael Perera, Susannah Fleming, Carl Heneghan |
| Abstract |
Placebos are widely used in clinical practice in spite of ethical restrictions. Whether such use is justified depends in part on the relative benefit of placebos compared to 'active' treatments. A direct test for differences between placebo and 'active' treatment effects has not been conducted. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 207 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 29 | 14% |
| Spain | 18 | 9% |
| United States | 14 | 7% |
| Australia | 11 | 5% |
| Canada | 8 | 4% |
| Germany | 8 | 4% |
| France | 4 | 2% |
| Greece | 3 | 1% |
| Romania | 2 | <1% |
| Other | 19 | 9% |
| Unknown | 91 | 44% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 156 | 75% |
| Scientists | 29 | 14% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 16 | 8% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 6 | 3% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 204 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 3 | 1% |
| United States | 3 | 1% |
| United Kingdom | 2 | <1% |
| Norway | 1 | <1% |
| France | 1 | <1% |
| Sweden | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 193 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 42 | 21% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 28 | 14% |
| Other | 26 | 13% |
| Student > Bachelor | 23 | 11% |
| Student > Master | 20 | 10% |
| Other | 39 | 19% |
| Unknown | 26 | 13% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 56 | 27% |
| Psychology | 39 | 19% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 11 | 5% |
| Philosophy | 8 | 4% |
| Neuroscience | 8 | 4% |
| Other | 39 | 19% |
| Unknown | 43 | 21% |