PENALTIES AND SANCTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS' ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION ACTIVITIES: AN ANALYSIS OF ADVERTISING BOARD DECISIONS

In the healthcare field, there are rules that healthcare institutions and healthcare professionals must follow regarding advertising and promotion, and these rules are determined by various regulations. These strictly defined rules are sometimes violated by healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions, especially on social media platforms where supervision is more difficult. When those who violate these rules are reported, they are examined by the Advertising Board within the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Trade, and the results of their evaluations are announced in monthly press releases. Therefore, this study aims to reveal which rules and regulations are violated by healthcare professionals and healthcare institutions, the reasons for these violations, and the sanctions applied. The press releases published by the Advertising Board in 2022 were examined, and a total of 273 complaints were analyzed using content analysis technique. It was found that most of those penalized made advertising posts on Instagram (86.4%), almost all posts contained service promotion (98.5%), and in terms of ethical problems, the most common violation was sharing before/after treatment images (37%). The main reasons for penalties included creating demand for services (96.7%), giving commercial appearance (95.6%), exceeding permitted information limits (92.3%), and violating promotional boundaries (74.3%). However, despite these violations, it was observed that the penalty of suspension of the advertisement (99.6%) was given as a sanction. It was concluded that healthcare institutions and healthcare professionals frequently violate legal regulations on social media platforms. These violations are largely carried out for service promotion and demand generation purposes, however, the sanctions remain lenient.