No: Covert medication is paternalistic

A recent study of covertly medicating patients who have dementia has exposed this form of deception as a fairly widespread phenomenon in the medical community.1 These findings may prompt an uncomfortable selfawareness in readers. A “pill in the sandwich” is not a benign gesture. It should never be undertaken without thoughtful consideration of the circumstances, the possible consequences, and the practice of good care. It is rarely ethically justifiable.