Is medical advertising ethical?

There is a new discussion area: Advertising + Marketing

 
The prevalence of advertising for cosmetic medicine brings out the charlatan element. Plastic surgeons and cosmetic dermatologists have been in this arena for many years but the addition to the market of doctors who have never advertised their services before brings the ethical conflict up more and more.

Here's what the American Medical Association says about advertising medicine:

2.2 Advertising
a. Confine advertising of professional services to the presentation of information reasonably needed by patients or colleagues to make an informed decision about the availability and appropriateness of your medical services.
b. Make sure that any announcement or advertisement directed towards patients or colleagues is demonstrably true in all respects. Advertising should not bring the profession into disrepute.
c. Do not publicly endorse therapeutic goods as defined under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (C’th), contrary to the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code.
d. Exercise caution in publicly endorsing any particular commercial product or service not covered by the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code.
e. Ensure that any therapeutic or diagnostic advance is described and examined through professional channels, and, if proven beneficial, is made available to the profession at large.

Comments

[R Grey]

I believe there is nothing wrong with advertising for cosmetic medicine. In many cases, people make a choice to improve their appearance, so from that end, advertising is necessary for doctors to get their word out