Do Physicians Prefer Natural Drugs?

Abstract. Background: There is a bias for natural versus synthetic drugs in general populations. Aims: We investigated whether physicians who have advanced medical and scientific training and routinely prescribe drugs exhibit this bias. Methods: Physicians and non-physicians were presented with a hypothetical medical situation in which pharmacological therapy was required. Participants were asked if they would prefer a natural or synthetic drug for treatment. Physicians were also asked which drug they would prescribe to a patient. Results: In a forced-choice paradigm, non-physicians (87.5%) and physicians (79.2%) had an equally strong bias for the natural drug, with physicians (74.3%) also preferring the natural drug for patients. When a 9-point drug choice scale was used, including a “no preference” choice (5), non-physicians ( M = 6.91) and physicians ( M = 5.41) again showed a preference for the natural drug compared to the mid-point of the scale, but the non-physicians’ bias was stronger. Physicians no longer preferred the natural drug for patients ( M = 5.15). Limitations: The participants do not represent a random sample and therefore may not represent physicians/non-physicians in general. Additionally, the responses were hypothetical and may not represent behavior in actual medical contexts. Conclusion: These data indicate that physicians and non-physicians exhibit a bias for natural drugs, with physicians also demonstrating a bias for prescribing natural drugs. However, the bias is reduced in physicians compared to non-physicians when a “no preference” option is available, suggesting that advanced medical and/or scientific training may be beneficial in minimizing this bias.