An empirical analysis of ethical and professional issues in physicians' advertising: A comparative cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this study is to investigate current attitudes and opinions of physicians' advertising and to compare them to the attitudes expressed 10 years previously. This study was designed to determine (a) consumers' attitudes toward advertising by physicians, and (b) whether age, occupation, income, education, or sex of consumer accounted for any significant difference in attitudes toward physicians who advertise. The study seems to confirm the belief of many marketing professionals that advertising and marketing do not have a place in the management and operation of professional services.