title: The medical profession and changing attitudes towards advertising and competition.
abstract: This paper examines the attitudes of general medical practitioners towards competition and advertising and the changes that have occurred between 1985 and 1988. The data was derived from a self completion questionnaire, 1500 of which were evenly distributed among the members of five professions; doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants and veterinarians. General practitioners are now favourably disposed towards advertising by the profession as a whole in an effort to increase awareness of medical services (70% in favour in 1988 compared to only 53% in 1985), but the perceived need for increased business efficiency has lessened (70% in 1988 compared to 78% in 1985). Collegiality continues to be the dominant ideology but this position has weakened slightly. In 1988 only 65% of general practitioners regarded other members of the profession as colleagues rather than competitors, compared to 73% in 1985.
authors.affiliation: Department of Marketing, University of Otago, Dunedin.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fay
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003813:Dentistry / Q000639:trends; D004465:Economic Competition / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009520:New Zealand; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000639:trends