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MarketingWellness and Prevention

MarketingWellness and Prevention

Wellnessand prevention marketing programs are becoming more and more popularamong people globally as individuals are growing more anxious withtheir wellbeing. Surveys conducted in 2013 indicate that the size ofthe market in the world for weight loss, nutrition, and healthyeating has increased to high levels (Hawk &amp Evans, 2013). Healthconsciousness has been made a priority by most people both employeesand employers from the private sector. Most employers have introducedprograms that enhance wellness and prevention through the cutting offhealth insurance costs in the workplace. A survey conducted in 2011explains that around 91 percent of organizations across the UnitedStates implemented health promotion and awareness programs that wouldimprove favorable well-being outcomes within the workplace (Busbin, &ampSelf, 2013). Such programs are still being utilized today, and theyhave benefits such reduced expenses on medical care, decreasedabsenteeism, and improved productivity to the company (Anderko,2012). This research paper focuses on analyzing the best ways throughwhich wellness and prevention initiatives within an organization canbe marketed by assessing the existing programs.

Supposethat one is given the function of managing medical care marketingprograms sector for a particular pharmaceutical drug (OxyContin).Then a junior marketing team member recommends the increase in thebudget set for inviting professional medical care providers forattending a seminar where the team will be trained as speakers. Themain objective of the marketing plan involves influencing physiciansto prescribe the pharmaceutical drug. The physician`s drafts versionsof the DVD`s and brochures promoting the advantages presented by thedrug that is to be supplied to patients by physicians as a way ofincreasing sales. The junior physician also suggests the inclusion ofa bonus system for all the sales representatives that is dependent onthe total sales that will increase the prescriptions each physicianwill make in their areas for the drug (Hawk &amp Evans, 2013)..

EthicalIssues that are Associated with this Marketing Strategy

Themarketing strategy discussed above has several ethical issuesassociated with it and one of the issues is that the first goal setinvolves influencing the physicians to put more focus on prescribingthe drug. Additionally, the physicians are rewarded with a huge bonusfor increased sale of the OxyContin drug in the areas where they areposted (Geangu et al., 2013). The result is always characterized by alarge number of patients visiting the clinicians seeking prescriptionwith an opioid. Tests undertaken on the effectiveness of usingopioids showed that the opioids only relieve pain on the short-termbasis particularly for the chronic diseases (Francer et al., 2014).It, therefore, means that the drug is not as effective as thephysicians are supposed to describe so as to increase sales (Hawk &ampEvans, 2013). The opioid drugs do not guarantee consistency in theirfunctioning, and thus people suffering from a chronic disease causingterminal pain cannot be relieved pain entirely. The informationprovided by physicians is meant for influencing the decisions of thepatients so that they can seek prescriptions from the clinicians(Geangu et al., 2013). Lastly, the marketing strategy also requiresthe physicians to attend seminars where they will gather educationaland scientific information. The organization emphasizes on theattendance so that it would benefit them in marketing the drug (Arenaet al., 2013).

Thewellness and prevention marketing strategies require designs that areunique and with different approaches as compared to other products.With sufficient funds, any organization undertaking marketingprograms on wellness and prevention should focus on conductingextensive research. The outcomes of such research can be used inmaking decisions that are important in developing the marketingstrategies. The goal of any marketing plan that involves promotingwellness and prevention include motivating the patients on leading ahealthier lifestyle. Companies will avoid the use of negative contentduring any marketing strategy they may undertake for their products,and they try to build a positive image of their services whileadvertising (Dement et al., 2015). The marketers focus on educatingthe targeted populations on good diet and nutrition, and that`s whyprevention specialists are trained on educating the patients onhealth value preventions. One common marketing approach that is usedis founded on the Behavior-image Model that recommends the linking ofthe image of the company and the risk of using the substance beingadvertised (Busbin, &amp Self, 2013).

Thepast few years have seen the cost of health care services increaseparticularly for the pharmaceutical drugs. The Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) laws should check on the costs of pharmaceuticaldrugs and also regulate the marketing of such drugs. Most of thepharmaceutical companies are after increasing their sales, and thusthey use different promotional means that encourages more patients toseek the prescription of their drugs without sufficient knowledge onthe adverse impacts of such drugs (Arena et al., 2013). Therefore,Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should limit the promotion andmarketing content that pharmaceutical companies use to promote theirproducts to ensure the information that reaches the consumers iscredible and reliable and will not mislead the patients (Hawk &ampEvans, 2013). The mechanisms provided by the Food and DrugAdministration should focus on enabling improved standards of thepharmaceuticals offered without compromising the message thepharmaceutical companies should present to the consumers. The FDAshould also limit the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs so as toprevent unhealthy competition between the companies and thus reducechances of production of low-quality drugs (Anderko, 2012).

Itcan be recommended that the pharmaceutical companies should focus onpresenting only accurate information on the substances that theyoffer to patients. Advertising of pharmaceutical products improvescommunication that exists between patients and the physicians.Therefore, marketing of wellness and prevention should present thepharmaceutical company with an opportunity to create awareness to thecustomers on the importance of the drug and offer advice onpreventive measures. It is also recommendable that any pharmaceuticalcompany undertaking wellness and prevention marketing should ensurethe use of accurate and reliable content when implementing theirpromotional strategies. Any information utilized during marketingshould be reliable and not be misleading to the consumers (Geangu etal., 2013).

Conclusion

Insummary, wellness and prevention marketing has become a popular trendthat is being used by pharmaceutical companies around the world. Mostof these companies are using different strategies to market theirproducts and services, and it has lead to increased competition inthe health care industry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)tries to regulate the promotional approaches that thesepharmaceutical industries use to promote their products to ensurethey only provide information that is accurate and reliable to theconsumers. The pharmaceutical industry has adopted various approachesfor advertising such as the use physicians in the field to market forthe drugs manufactured by a particular company. Wellness andprevention programs have benefits such reduced expenses on medicalcare, decreased absenteeism, and improved productivity to thecompany.

References

Anderko,L. (2012). Promoting prevention through the Affordable Care Act:workplace

wellness.Preventingchronic disease,9.

Arena,R., Guazzi, M., Briggs, P. D., Cahalin, L. P., Myers, J., Kaminsky,L. A., &amp Lavie, C.

J.(2013, June). Promoting health and wellness in the workplace: aunique opportunity to establish primary and extended secondarycardiovascular risk reduction programs. In MayoClinic Proceedings(Vol. 88, No. 6, pp. 605-617). Elsevier.

Busbin,J., &amp Self, D. (2013). Marketingfor health and wellness programs.Routledge.

Dement,J. M., Epling, C., Joyner, J., &amp Cavanaugh, K. (2015). Impacts ofworkplace

healthpromotion and wellness programs on health care utilization and costs:results from an academic workplace. Journalof occupational and environmental medicine,57(11),1159-1169.

Francer,J., Izquierdo, J. Z., Music, T.,&nbspNarsai, K.&nbspNikidis, C.,Simmonds, H., &amp Woods,

P.(2014). Ethical pharmaceutical promotion and communicationsworldwide: codes and regulations. Philosophy,ethics, and humanities in medicine, 9(1),p. 7. Available in the Trident Online Library.

Geangu,I. P., Dumitru, I., &ampGârdan, D. (2013). Ethical and legalaspects of marketing

activiityin the field of dental healthcare services. ContemporaryReadings in Law and Social Justice, 5(2),904-918

Hawk,C., &amp Evans, W. (2013). HealthPromotion and Wellness: An Evidence-Based Guide

toClinical Preventive Services.Lippincott Williams &amp Wilkins.

MarketingWellness and Prevention

MarketingWellness and Prevention

Marketingis an essential section of “selling” the concept of wellness andprevention to healthcare practitioners. Several healthcareestablishments are increasingly instituting and enhancing wellnessand prevention by focusing on programs that deal with social factorsof health, and reinforce the social traditional and physical settingsthat affect behavior. Therefore, as the programs are executed, allethical issues that will favor health care provision should be put inplace (Masood, Hassali, Ibrahim &amp Shafie, 2015). This paper isgoing to discuss some ethical issues associated with a marketingstrategy that was selected, as well as suggest ways address thesematters in the capacity of the manager of this marketing division.

EthicalIssues linked with this Marketing Strategy

Thefirst moral aspect linked with this marketing strategy is thepresence of practitioners to a meeting ordered by the marketingdivision. The particular intent for any communication withpractitioners should be on the basis of giving scientific andinstructive information. Such a wealth of information is providedwith the primary purpose of profiting the patients as well asenhancing provision of medical services (Gabe, Williams, Martin &ampCoveney, 2015).

Unfortunately,the principal objective of this session should not be to advertisetheir products since that could inform the reasoning of the healthpractitioner in a negative way. The lives of the patient may beinfluenced negatively as the physicians would be more orientedtowards making profits instead of providing proper care (Geangu,Dumitru &amp Gardan, 2013). It should be thus desired to let thissession be spearheaded by scientific bodies in the place of amarketing division of a pharmaceutical establishment.

Itis an ethical issue in this marketing plan to influence physicians toprescribe the drug. It comprises presenting the benefits, risks andprobable complications of any cure to help the physician in choosingthe proper decisions while handling patients. The problem of this isthat there is a competition fundamental in the pharmaceuticalindustries (Gabe et al., 2015). As manufacturers spend a lot offinances to develop, research and market their products, they have tocounter this through unnecessary pressure on sales and marketingteams to make profits. Since the drug company’s drive is to makesales, they could resort to less ethical ways to attain benefits. Itcan even result to bribing the doctors of their patient care time sothat they can promote selling the products.

Theownership interests of physicians in health institutions to whichthey refer patients comprise a conflict of interest. The invitedhealth care providers may place their secondary importance as a key(Masood et al., 2015). That is, their emphasis may be based onincreasing income to their facilities as prescribe more services. Thewelfare of the patients must remain to be key as far as thephysician’s interests are concerned. Ahmed and Saeed (2014)suggested that conflict of interests that arise in this manner willhurt the patients who will be obliged to undergo unnecessaryservices. It is also burdensome to the society who will excessivelyspend on these facilities for the sake of their loved ones.

Anotherethical aspect is a personal profit given to the practitioner oftraining them to be speakers. According to Womack (2013),practitioners should not be offered any personal benefit that may inany way influence their delivery negatively. They can createeducational and ethical standards that may scarcely profit patientsand the community as a whole. They should be personal benefitsoffered to them should have a way of promoting competence and causethem to be trustworthy and ethical. Thus, this meeting may not befruitful when obliterating self-interest is the unique feature thatsets practitioners apart from other professions.

Givingthe sales representatives a bonus in their territories to heightenthe number of medicaments that professionals create for a drug isentirely unethical. They should be hindered from giving anything ofoutstanding value as a token for acquiring, referring or in any waybacking up any particular drug. Simply put, they should forbid frompresenting gifts to the physicians in a way that will make them moremotivated to make a prescription as an appreciation (Mintzes,Lexchin, Sutherland, Beaulieu, Wilkes, Durrieu &amp Reynolds, 2013).The physician does so regardless of how expensive or less efficientthe medicine may be than an alternative treatment.

Waysof Addressing the Ethical Issues

Inthe health care delivery, sales associates in pharmaceuticals stand acrucial position. As they inform physicians on products, theemployers offer and provide awareness into current and evolvingtherapies it gives the doctors an advantage of providing qualitycare to their patients. Consequently, the patients sustain a betterhealth. In any case, that is the way things should be. However, for along time, pharmaceutical sales representatives were viewed less asinstructors and health care facilitators and more as people gearedtoward attaining sales goals than ethical concerns (Mintzes et al.,2013).

Another key strategy of addressing these ethical issues is acceptinga program that cohesively incorporates all related aspects ofwellness and health mechanisms. The benefits accrued from the programshould be balanced so that one side is not compromised (Womack,2013). A setup should be formed with guidelines that offer a firmerethical surrounding and enhance the integrity of both practitionersand pharmaceutical industry as far as sales and prescribing of drugsis concerned (Geangu, Dumitru &amp Gardan, 2013).

Ethicalboards should do away with the potential of pharmaceutical companiesto sway physicians toward their products. Mintzes et al. (2013)insisted that health institutions must be encouraged to keep ethicalstandards in mind, particularly in this era where doctors are nottrusted. The goal of distributing draft versions of brochures andDVD’s is to inform the physicians and patients on the benefits ofthe drugs but not to sway them on acquiring the product. In fact, thefocus should be shifted from education seminars that showcase thecompany’s products and enhance the sales forces to researchingplatforms. In any case, the educational initiatives should be moreabout improving health care provisions and reinforcing the doctor topatient relationships (Ahmed &amp Saeed, 2014). Pharmaceutical salesrepresentatives must be kept at bay as far as educating thephysicians is concerned. Their goals are entirely misplaced.

Conclusion

The health care providers invited must adhere to the ethicalstandards that guide physicians. The current ethical considerationsfor pharmaceutical representative have significant advancement ininitiating a more ethical and efficient industry. Thus, thepharmaceutical drug company should endeavor not to evade the law butpromote practices that support the values of physicians even if theyare marketing. Physicians should insist on an efficient treatmentmodel that supports health care for patients. It is expected that anyunethical procedures will be identified and uncovered. Consequently,the pharmaceutical drug company, in this case, must be focused tofollow firmer guidelines to evade the grievous penalties.

References

Ahmed,R., &amp Saeed, A. (2014). Pharmaceutical drug promotion practicesin Pakistan: Issues in ethical and non-ethical pharmaceuticalpractices. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 20(11),1630-1640.

Gabe,J., Williams, S., Martin, P., &amp Coveney, C. (2015).Pharmaceuticals and Society: Power, promises and prospects. SocialScience &amp Medicine, 131, 193-198.

Geangu,I. P., Dumitru, I., &amp Gârdan, D. (2013). Ethical and legalaspects of marketing activity in the field of dental healthcareservices. ContemporaryReadings in Law and Social Justice, 5(2),904-918.

Masood,I., Hassali, M., Ibrahim, M., &amp Shaffie, A. (2015). Doctorsand pharmaceutical Industry: Insight from Malaysian Scenario(Pernebit USM). PenerbitUSM.

Mintzes,B., Lexchin, J., Sutherland, J., Beaulieu, M., Wilkes, M., Durrieu,G., &amp Reynolds, E. (2013). Pharmaceutical sales representativesand patient safety: a comparative prospective study of informationquality in Canada, France and the United State. Journalof general internal medicine, 28(10),1368-1375.

Womack,C. A. (2013). Ethical and epistemic issues in direct-to-consumer drugadvertising: Where is patient agency?Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy, 16(2),275-80.