The business world has become so competitive in recent years. This means that medical practice, like any other business, should engage in marketing to attract more clients to its facilities. However, the big problem is that doctors cannot advertise medical practice like a casinos or a bathing soap, even though every promotion adheres to a particular code of ethics.
This article provides a practical overview of the ethical conduct of medical practice advertisement in Kenya.
Why Doctors Need to Advertise their Medical Practice?
Like the legal profession, medical practitioners are traditionally expected to refrain from advertisements and promoting their practice. This is often the case because physicians want to protect the profession’s value and avoid dragging their profession into the fields associated with misleading information and direct influence on potential service users.
Promoting a medical practice under the guidance of industry ethics and sound standards relays information about the medical practice’s services, the health conditions they treat, and the ultimate benefits of the treatment.
In addition, medical practice promotion reminds potential clients about medical practice services, helps them make decisions when need arises, and distinguishes the medical practice among other providers. When advertising their medical practice, physicians can also embrace this opportunity to update the public on the recent developments in treatment and advance patient education.
How is Medical Practice Advertisement Regulated in Kenya?
Medical practice and the entire healthcare industry are highly regulated sectors worldwide. The question remains on how physicians can advertise their medical practice while adhering to all ethical standards of medical practice as a healthcare business.
One of the main reasons for restricted medical practice advertising is the concern for protecting the public from misleading promotional perspectives. Unethical healthcare promotions can result in false claims that negatively affect the general public.
In Kenya, the Medical Practitioners and Dentists (Cap 254) was enacted in 2016 to govern the marketing of medical and dental practitioners and health facilities. This Act paved the way for medical practice advertising under guided protocols aligned to a code of ethics of the profession.
To ethically advertise their medical practice business, physicians and health institutions must understand which information to promote, the information to exclude in the advertisement, illegal ways of attracting patients to their practice, and the consequences of non-compliance with ethical medical practice marketing.
Follow the following guidelines to promote your medical practice in Kenya ethically.
Hire A Competent Healthcare Marketing Specialist
A medical practice marketer should understand the industry’s ethical standards and guidelines. This will ensure their marketing outreach maintains the integrity of the practice and adheres to the necessary guidelines.
For instance, the marketing expert should understand general conduct, what to include or exclude in medical practice advertisements, prohibited methods of attracting business, and the consequences of bending the rules. Otherwise, they might subject the owners to legal battles related to unethical medical practice advertising.
General Conduct When You Need To Advertise Medical Practice
Even with the permission to advertise medical practice, practitioners and health facilities are prohibited from direct or indirect marketing that primarily aims to attract patients and other clients. This means marketing campaigns should not explicitly urge patients to use their services. Instead, they should provide value to patients and potential clients through initiatives such as patient education resources, medical camps, and community outreach programs.
According to the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act, medical practice advertisement should only mention services offered in Kenya. These advertisements must be objective and accurate and maintain the dignity and respect of the profession’s ethical practice.
Similarly, marketing efforts should not disparage other providers or violate patient confidentiality. The marketing materials should foster mutual respect and desist from typical competitive promotional tactics from other sectors.
What Information Should be Included in Medical Practice Advertisement?
When advertising your medical practice, include your name, the clinic’s name, and the board-issued specialty of the practitioner. The contact details you should share in your medical practice marketing campaigns include the physical location, address, email, website, language of operation, and clinic hours and days. It’s also important to mention any affiliations with other licensed health facilities, as well as the certification and accreditation of the practitioner(s) and the clinic, to enhance your credibility and branding.
Your medical practice advertisement should build the trust of potential clients. You can achieve this by enhancing your brand’s credibility and establishing authority. Sharing relevant information, such as medical practitioner’s or health facility registration, certification, and accreditations, contribute to the medical facility’s credibility. Therefore, you can mention any scholarly or research work of your own or colleagues in the practice, as long as the shared information adheres to professional ethics. These factors will influence a patient’s decision to choose your practice over another, especially since most people start their search online before visiting in person.
What is Prohibited in Medical Practice Advertisement?
During the advertisements, the medical practice should not reveal the identity of the patients nor any graphic, visual, and pictorial images of the patient. It is against the law to display exaggerated expectations and promises to potential clients, including on effectiveness, a timeframe of treatment, and certain unrealistic outcomes. Refrain from phrases like “Best gynaecologist in Nairobi,” etc. The medical practice adverts should avoid promising claims of waiving fees due to treatment failure and any deceitful, erroneous, or misleading stories.
Professional touting is not allowed in medical practice. Therefore, the marketing campaigns are restricted from using intermediaries and social influencers for patient referrals, making unsolicited contact, and making false statements in favour of the practice. The rules also forbid referral systems with commissions to protect the public from conflicts of interest in patient referrals.
Lastly, the promotions should uphold intellectual property rights by avoiding using copyrighted or trademarked phrases and symbols without prior legal authorization from the owners.
How To Balance Medical Needs and Professional Ethics in Promotion of Medical Practice
The primary aspect here is to adhere to the rules on medical practice marketing and healthcare as a profession. The adverts should centre on facts regarding the practice, including qualifications, accredited services, and realistic patient outcomes. What matters is your expertise, accessibility, and commitment to optimal patient outcomes, not overzealous promises to potential clients.
Tip:
Over 91% of potential clients begin their journey to your private medical practice by finding and comparing multiple providers online through a simple Google search. Of these online searchers, 77% rely on online reviews to inform their decisions, and 84% would not choose your practice if your reviews are rated below 4 stars.
Conclusion
Medical practice marketing is essential for creating awareness and reaching out to the general public, familiarising them with the physician or medical clinic. Premierlance Medical will help you advertise your practice to attract potential clients, retain existing ones, and increase the overall business presence while adhering to all ethical provisions in medical practice marketing. Various platforms, including print media and digital platforms, are available to help you promote your practice.
Depending on where you are currently, Premierlance Medical will streamline your medical practice marketing through print and digital media platforms. Premierlance Medical’s digital marketing suite is a strategic marketing package that starts from setting up your medical practice website, professional social media pages on appropriate platforms, content writing, newsletters, patient education materials, and search engine optimization (SEO). The content marketing subset comprises blog posts, articles, and video scripts.
Click here to book a strategy call with Premierlance Medical and start marketing your medical practice.
