Using marketing principles for healthcare development.

Abstract

In this paper I examine the scope for using marketing principles in health service development, which, for the purposes of this paper, is putting knowledge into action -new technologies, new services, or new organis- ational arrangements. At the moment both central government and those working in the NHS research and development system recommend clinical guidelines as a prime means of moving knowledge into practice.' 2 Therefore, I will use the case of clinical guidelines to bring the ideas of marketing to life, using examples from the royal college's development programme in the health care of elderly people. However, the principles described could be used for any other approach to health service development. I will first consider the marketing concept as the basis for the principles of marketing and then introduce the idea that knowledge can be made into products. I will then review the central challenge of moving towards science based practice and discuss six principle marketing activities, ending with the existing opportunities for practical use of the marketing concept.