Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3349

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Larson RJ, Schwartz LM, Woloshin S, Welch HG.
Advertising by academic medical centers.
Arch Intern Med 2005 Mar 28; 165:(6):645-51
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15795340&query_hl=8&itool=pubmed_docsum

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: There has been much critical discussion of direct-to- consumer advertising by the pharmaceutical industry, but very little scrutiny of advertising by academic medical centers.

METHODS: The authors, from the VA Outcomes Group in White River Junction, VT, and Dartmouth Medical School, contacted the “marketing departments” of the 17 centers named to the 2002 US News and World Report’s honor roll of “America’s Best Hospitals,” and evaluated 122 advertisements placed by these institutions in the most widely circulated newspapers in their areas.

RESULTS: All but one of the institutions reported the use of advertising to attract patients. None of the contacted representatives reported that there was an institutional review process in place to evaluate these ads. Of the 122 ads designed to attract patients, the medical center as a whole was promoted in 30%, a specific clinical department was promoted in 53%, and single tests or therapies were promoted in 17%. The most commonly employed marketing strategies appealed to the emotions, highlighted the prestige and “cutting-edge care” of the institution, mentioned a specific symptom or disease and promoted “gateway offers” designed to lead to further business. All but two of the 21 ads for a single test or therapy involved a cosmetic procedure, or an intervention with limited or no efficacy data or lacking consensus support. More than three-fourths of the single-service ads highlighted benefits of the service, but none quantified positive claims and only one implied potential harms.

CONCLUSIONS: Advertising by academic medical centers does not appear to adhere to standards that promote the best interests of patients. 34 references

Keywords:
advertising,patients