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Doctor or surgeon · New Zealand

Website advertising rules for doctors and surgeons in New Zealand

Doctors and surgeons answer to their regulator's advertising and conduct rules as well as to privacy law. This is what Medical Council of New Zealand Statement on advertising (April 2022) means for your website: testimonials, claims, fees, titles and the details you must show. It applies only to sites of that profession, and only where you are licensed. For the general laws every site in New Zealand must follow, see New Zealand's laws.

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Medical Council of New Zealand Statement on advertising (April 2022)

Current version dated April 2022; used by the Council, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and the Health and Disability Commissioner as a conduct standard.

Who it covers: Doctors registered in New Zealand, including clinic owners associated with a clinic. Set by the Medical Council of New Zealand.

What it requires of a website or app (9)

  • No testimonials in your advertisement or on any website or platform you control, including patient comments, colleagues' endorsements and shared online reviews; do not encourage patients to leave them, and remove those posted on your platformsAI reviewpara 9 and footnote 8; definition of "Testimonial"
  • Claims are evidence-based, substantiated and from a reputable verifiable sourceAI reviewpara 4
  • No direct comparison or implied superiority over other doctorsAI reviewpara 5
  • Do not encourage unnecessary care, create unfounded fear, or approach prospective patients directlyAI reviewparas 6-8
  • Do not glamourise services or foster unrealistic expectationsAI reviewpara 9
  • Before/after photos are solely informative, realistic, of your own patients, unaltered, taken in the same conditions, and with full informed consent (if the site shows before/after photos)AI reviewpara 10(a)-(g)
  • Only qualifications on the Council register or from NZ-accredited bodies are advertised, with abbreviations spelled out the first timeAI reviewparas 11-13
  • Do not endorse medical products or treatment methods; declare any financial interestAI reviewparas 14-15
  • Coupons, online deals and vouchers make clear that purchase is not informed consent, assessment comes first, the patient may opt out and treatment is withheld if unsuitable; no treatments as prizes (if the site sells vouchers, deals or gift certificates)AI reviewparas 16-17

Sources:MCNZ Statement on advertising

Rules for doctors and surgeons in other markets

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A plain-language summary of what each law requires of a website or app, from the SafeLaunch rulebook, with the provision and official sources. It is not legal advice and not every duty in each law is listed.