Veterinary practice newsletters

Policy type: Policy
Reference: 1d
Status: Current
Date ratified: 4 May 2015

Veterinary practice newsletters (in both digital and printed forms) and online social media electronic communications (such as Facebook and Twitter) are an important means of transferring information to clients and are to be encouraged as a way of promoting veterinary practices and the veterinary profession. To achieve these objectives, the technical component of practice newsletters should meet a high standard of accuracy and integrity.

Background

1. Newsletters have always been recognised as a valuable form of promotion of individual veterinary practices and, consequently, the veterinary profession as a whole. They are usually well received by clients.
2. Veterinarians should familiarise themselves with the NZVA/VCNZ Social Media Guide for Veterinarians. This guide has been written exclusively for veterinarians in line with the VCNZ Code of Professional Conduct (COPC). It provides tips on responsible social media use, aims to keep veterinarians professionally safe, and help them navigate the minefield that is social media.
3. If newsletters are sent to other than bona fide clients they are more likely to be seen as advertising. This has legal implications when compared with a newsletter sent only to bona fide clients.
4. Inaccurate or unclear practice newsletter content may be used to denigrate the veterinary profession.
5. The Fair Trading Act and the Code of Professional Conduct for veterinarians require that published information is accurate.
6. Newsletters are considered a vehicle for the transfer of technical information.
7. The Code of Professional Conduct (Professional Integrity; Section 9) requires that when promoting services and products:
   1. Veterinarians must act fairly representing their capability and competence accurately;
   2. Veterinarians must not exaggerate any claim or comparison of the service or product over another or overstate their skills and knowledge by using misleading descriptors.
   3. In promoting their services, veterinarians must act fairly, responsibly, accurately, and in such a way as not to risk the interests of the animal or the owner or jeopardise the reputation of the profession.
8. The Explanatory notes for Section 9 of the Professional Integrity section of the Code of Professional Conduct also covers the advertising or endorsement of products and services:
   1. The promotion of services and products offered by the profession occurs in various ways. Sometimes promotion occurs through direct contact between veterinarians and existing or potential clients. Other forms of promotion are indirect through electronic or written communications, promotional activities, advertising, and media.
   2. When promoting services and products veterinarians need to take care not to claim or imply any personal superiority of professional attributes relative to other veterinarians and must not act in a manner that may impair public confidence in the profession, such as to discredit other veterinary services or products.
   3. Veterinarians need to be accurate when promoting services and products. They must not mislead or deceive the public directly nor by implication, omission, ambiguity, or exaggerated claim or comparison of their service or product over another. When comparing products, veterinarians must only make comparison between products with a similar intended purpose of use.
   4. Promotion involving scientific terminology should be appropriate but also able to be readily understood by the audience to whom it is directed.
   5. When advertising their services and products, veterinarians must act in accordance with the advertising codes of practice. The Advertising Codes of Practice are overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority and establish the following five basic principles:
      1. All advertisements must comply with the law of New Zealand.
      2. No advertisement should impair public confidence in advertising.
      3. No advertisement should be misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive the consumer.
      4. All advertisements should be prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society.
      5. All advertisements should respect the principles of free and fair competition generally accepted in business.
   6. The various codes of practice for advertising can be found at www.asa.co.nz.
9. Promotion of a registered veterinary medicine in a newsletter must comply with the current MPI guidance and with any requirements specified in the product’s registration. Reference to a veterinary medicine when conveying information such as about management of a disease, and which is not intended to increase sales of the product, would not be considered to be promotion. The MPI document ‘Advertising Guidelines for products registered under the ACVM Act’ (at www.foodsafety.govt.nz/elibrary/industry/advertising-guidelines-acvm.pdf) outlines the ACVM requirements for veterinarians when advertising or promoting veterinary medicines.
10. The Code of Professional Conduct (Professional Integrity, Section 9 e, f and g of the Explanatory Notes) spells out the expectations of veterinarians in endorsing, selling and recommending veterinary medicines. Advertising should not jeopardise the public’s confidence in the scientific integrity and impartiality of the veterinarian, the veterinary practice or the profession.
11. The VCNZ Code of Practice for Discretionary Use of Human and Veterinary Medicines specifies the steps to be taken on each occasion of discretionary use; (https://www.vetcouncil.org.nz/documentation/Statements/VCNZStatement_DiscretionaryUse.pdf). Authors of newsletters should be careful not to breach the conditions specified in this code.

Guidelines

1. Before publishing original trial data, ie. data not yet published in a scientific journal, or data from local field trials, refer to the NZVA Policy on Clinical Trials and consider the Data Evaluation Check List.
2. The practice should hold on file references to the source(s) of material published.
3. Where using trademarks seek permission to use these in advertising, eg. brand names.

References

Veterinary Council of New Zealand Code of Professional Conduct

NZVA/VCNZ Social Media Guide for Veterinarians

The Fair Trading Act

The Ministry for Primary Industries Advertising Guidelines for products registered under the ACVM Act

NZVA Clinical trials policy

VCNZ Code of Practice for Discretionary Use of Human and Veterinary Medicines