Is there a Doctor in the House?

Some Health Care Ads are in Such Bad Shape, They Need Emergency Treatment

Magazine article

By: Anonymous

Date: January 6, 1986

Source: American Demographics, Advertising Age, Crain Communications

About the Author: This article was published without attribution or a byline, and was written by a staff writer for American Demographics now part of Advertising Age, the weekly magazine about trends in the advertising industry.

INTRODUCTION

Advertising health care services directly to the consumer, whether it be a hospital, a diagnostic test or a prescription drug, at its best increases patient power by raising awareness. At its worst, it undermines the physician's authority and exploits the patient in the interest of profit. The United States is the only industrialized nation so far that has pushed direct-to-consumer (DTC) health care prescription drug advertising. Other countries, such as New Zealand and Canada, have come out against such advertising. In 2002, the European Parliament voted not to allow DTC advertising for drugs for asthma, AIDS, and diabetes.

DTC advertising has long been a contentious issue. Governments everywhere are obliged to do what they can to encourage business for the sake of their country's prosperity. Advertising increases the income of advertising, pharmaceutical, health care, media, and, naturally, advertising companies, while increasing the workload of physicians. The health care expenditure of patients, insurance companies, and employers are also increased by demand arising from DTC advertising. These increased profits and costs could perhaps be justified if there was a clear benefit to the health of the population and resulting in a decrease of unmet medical needs.

The very nature of DTC advertising in the broadcast and print media, however, is often contradictory to raising awareness in those areas where it is most needed. Advertisements are often too short to convey much meaningful information; and research in the industry has shown that they are likely to confuse or worry the patient. As the following article illustrates, DTC advertisements are often misleading and tend to focus on areas such as cosmetic surgery, where health promotion is not the key issue.

PRIMARY SOURCE

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SIGNIFICANCE

Health care is a complex issue, and the advertising industry's consumer-targeted approach continues to evolve. Since 1986, when the article above was written, governments have provided little guidance to the public about DTC advertising. With the spread of the Internet, where regulatory issues are more difficult, DTC advertisements are commonplace, often stemming from countries outside the United States, and advertising medications to be available without a prescription. The consumer bears the responsibility for purchasing online medications from reliable suppliers and observing all local laws regarding their distribution.

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has expressed ideas about the control of DTC advertising that could form the basis of new policies. According to the ACP, ads to the consumer should, like those in medical journals aimed at physicians, do more to disclose benefits and harms alike of a treatment or service. More evidence-based data should be included. In particular, ads should be directed towards supporting those with real medical needs, rather than creating a need where one did not previously exist.

Physicians are becoming proactive on the issue of DTC advertising and are often prepared for the patient who has obtained information from ads, either in the print or broadcast media or from the Internet. The advertising can indeed, as its advocates suggest, be of benefit, because it gives the physician a starting point for a potentially useful dialog with the patient. Physicians are also increasingly refusing to yield to a patient who has been overly influenced by advertising.

While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does have guidelines on DTC marketing of prescription drugs, which lay down the type of information that should be included and how it should be presented, there is no requirement for companies to have ads cleared by the FDA before they appear. Meanwhile, the ACP's Ethics Manual says that physicians and health care institutions should not make statements that are unsubstantiated, false, deceptive or misleading, including statements that mislead by omitting relevant information.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Periodicals

Mansfield, Peter R., Barbara Mintzes, Dee Richards, and Les Toop. "Direct to consumer advertising." British Medical Journal 330 (2005): 5-6.

Web sites

American College of Physicians. "Consumer ads: How Should You Handle the Pressure?" 〈http://www.acponline.org/ethics/casestudies/consumerads.htm〉 (accessed November 11, 2005).

Nurseweek. "Hospitals Use Advertising to Reach the Masses." 〈http://www.nurseweek.com/features/99-2/promotion.html〉 (accessed November 11, 2005).