3 Ways Healthcare Retailers Can Keep Ethics at the Forefront of Marketing

April 22, 2025 -- Healthcare marketing may be many things, but unethical should never be one of them. Ethical marketing is defined as a strategy that prioritizes qualities like transparency, responsibility, and integrity. 

This means ethical healthcare marketing will be - 

• Truthful, avoiding any exaggerated or deceptive claims 
• Open and clear about how data is used to interact with customers 
• Mindful of the impact of business activities on people and the environment 

Now, the industry’s profit pools are growing at a CAGR of 7% till 2027. To meet this estimate, healthcare providers, companies, or retailers should never yield to the temptation of unethical marketing practices. 

In this article, we will focus exclusively on healthcare retailers. Here are three ways to keep ethics at the forefront of your marketing practices. 

Prioritize Informed Consent 

Informed patient consent is a legal and ethical mandate for any medical product or treatment. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it ensures that the patient’s consent for a particular medical treatment is based on a thorough understanding. 

This means retailers dealing in healthcare products must disclose all information related to it, side effects included. When 100% transparency is neglected, patients can get severely injured. 

The same holds in the case of manipulative marketing tactics or misleading claims. To avoid deceiving your customers, it's important to stay updated about the current market landscape. 

Let's take an example to understand. Many top-tier pharmaceutical companies are masters at holding back crucial product information. Pfizer is perhaps leading the pack; the company is accused of misrepresenting the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. 

If that weren't enough, its reversible contraceptive, called Depo Provera, has failed to live up to its claims. According to TorHoerman Law, the birth control shot’s prolonged use has led to injuries like meningioma, a type of slow-growing brain tumor. 

Again, Pfizer has been accused of failing to warn patients of safety risks associated with the long-term use of Depo Provera. Since the company failed to fulfill the legal mandate of informed consent, women have filed a Depo shot lawsuit. The sheer number of Depo Provera lawsuit sign up cases highlights the gravity of the situation.

Now, the contraceptive in question is not a retail product yet. However, birth control in itself is available without a prescription, including condoms, spermicides, and even oral contraceptives. The first-ever contraceptive pill went over-the-counter only in 2023. 

It could be possible that shots also follow suit in the future. In any case, the lessons retailers need to gather from Pfizer’s example are as follows - 

• The bigger the pharmaceutical company, the higher its likelihood of deception. 
• It's important to stay updated on any latest clinical trials, risks, or lawsuits associated with a medical product.
• Once aware, relevant steps are needed to recall the product (if mandated) or disclose 100% of its side effects. 

These lessons can be applied to medicines or contraceptives already available. In other words, retailers must disclose the full range of side effects associated with oral contraceptives, not just the mild ones. 

Additionally, it’s crucial to address any questions properly, obtain voluntary consent, and offer extra support like interpreters. 

Avoid Fear-Based Tactics 

Could one ever believe that fear-based tactics and the fear of missing out (FOMO) would be used for healthcare marketing? A closer look shows that this would make sense from the marketer’s viewpoint. 

After all, healthcare is one sector where products and services quickly become a matter of life and death. Such tactics can create a sense of urgency among patients, encouraging them to purchase medical products in bulk. 

In most cases, retailers will use the following fear-based healthcare marketing tactics - 

• Graphic images like those of cancer used in anti-smoking campaigns 
• Mortality statistics associated with a disease or risky behavior 
• 
  
• Testimonials of severe cases, thereby pushing people to invest in preventative care 

Now, let's apply this tactic to the example of the previously mentioned birth control pill and understand the right approach. Is a birth control pill completely free of any side effects? No, which means a retailer cannot be ethical if they were to hide the risks involved. 

The good news is that a healthy dose of fear is good, even ethical on the part of the retailer. It will encourage customers to research all possible options before making an informed choice. 

What would turn this responsible marketing behavior into a fear-based tactic is if side effects are highlighted to an alarming extent. Moreover, retailers should not leave out strategies that may help reduce side effects, like managing stress, taking the pill consistently at the same time each day, and eating anti-inflammatory foods. 

Here is a breakdown to promote products ethically without using fear-based tactics - 

• Instead of highlighting worst-case scenarios, focus on healthy lifestyle choices and preventative measures. 
• Use positive messaging that encourages people to seek treatment. Do not always talk about negative consequences. 
• Avoid exaggerated claims and address patient concerns honestly. 
• Utilize credible sources like clinical research and expert opinions to build trust. 
• Choose respectful imagery in place of something that may evoke anxiety or fear. 

Maintain Patient Privacy 

Everybody wants to safeguard their privacy, including patients. As per the US Department of Health and Human Services, there are certain established standards to protect medical records and other individually identifiable health information. 

This means every patient has a right to exercise control over who gets to access their personal or medical information. Now, when customers consent to providing their sensitive details, healthcare retailers are obliged to keep them safe. 

Now, how do healthcare retailers like yourself generally gather patient data? Though electronic health records (EHRs) are the primary way, they are not the one and only. Detailed medical information spanning across diagnosis, medication, treatment plans, etc., may also be collected from the following sources - 

• Laboratory tests 
• Clinical observations 
• Patient intake forms 
• Prescription data 
• Patient surveys and questionnaires 

Now, right from the point of data procurement up until storage and use, it's important to protect patient privacy. 

Here are key strategies to maintain patient privacy - 

• Implement robust access controls so only authorized personnel can access patient data.
• Conduct regular risk assessments to identify any vulnerabilities in data storage. 
• Encrypt all sensitive data, both while storage and transmission. 
• Provide patients with clear privacy policies so they know how the data is collected, stored, and used. 
• Educate staff on proper data handling and HIPAA regulations/updates. 
• Utilize advanced security tools like intrusion detection systems to catch any suspicious activity. 

So, healthcare retailers, are you ready to impact patient trust for the better? Then, build transparency and accountability that naturally lead to better health outcomes. Start with ethical marketing practices and you have little to worry. 

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