Ethical Marketing and U.K. Private Acute Care Providers

This paper is a dissertation proposal to examine what ethical standards are necessary in acute care settings within the private health care industry in the U.K.

This paper explains that, in the U.K., private health care providers are consistently seeking to expand their business and influence in the face of a declining National Healthcare System; and thus, in order for private health care providers to successfully market their services to the public, they must first prove that what they have to offer is worthwhile and ethical. The author states that the primary goal of this dissertation is to develop a theory-building process that will result in a strategic marketing plan for acute health care in the UK that will (1) build on best practices based on current medical ethics standards, (2) support the private health care industry’s goals, and (3) provide guidance for private healthcare industry participants in the strategic marketing development process. The paper relates that the data will be collected via questionnaire utilizing Likert-type scales distributed to health care providers, marketing agents, and consumers.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Research Rational
Goals/Objectives of Study
Literature Review
Methodology
Approach/Research Design
Methods for Data Collection
Methods for Data Analysis
Discussion
Purpose/Relevance of Study
The private healthcare sector within the UK accounts for 25.3% of the UK healthcare market as of 2000. The private industry is divided among the following sectors: primary care services, acute care, psychiatric care, long term care and private medical insurance. Within the private healthcare sector, acute care accounts for a very small portion of services offered, and therefore will likely require the most aggressive marketing stratagems. Long term care accounts for the largest sector. The National Health Care Service in the UK has been suffering from a variety of problems affecting the infrastructure, including staff shortages. This leaves opportunity for growth in the private industry. This paper will focus on the acute care sector, which is currently expanding gradually in part as a result of the development of specialist facilities.