Applying Marketing Principles in the Field of Medical Services – An Ethical Challenge?

Article propose in a synthetic and punctual manner, a debate fundamentally aimed on two research directions: to what extent the perception of doctors towards the use of marketing principles in the daily activities is in contradiction with their professional ethics and how it can be modelled the doctor-patient relationship by consistently integrating the principles of marketing in medical work. Authors propose a number of conclusions and suggestions from both scientific literature review and a qualitative research conducted on doctors in Bucharest dental offices. The research suggests that, fundamentally, doctors perceive their work as performing a medical act that exceeds the boundaries of a purely commercial prestation. From this point of view, the use of marketing mix in medical work is a challenge for marketers, being necessary emphasizing the specific social marketing component in the development of medical marketing strategies.