Can Doctors Promote Their Practice Online?
Can Doctors Promote Their Practice Online? What is the New NMC Ethics Guidelines Say in 2026?
Understanding the National Medical Commission’s new rules on medical advertising, social media, patient testimonials, clinic websites and ethical communication.
The way patients find doctors has changed considerably. Many people now search online before booking a consultation, read healthcare articles, explore clinic websites and follow doctors on social media for medical information.
Digital platforms can help doctors educate the public and make reliable healthcare information more accessible. However, medical communication also carries a responsibility: patients should be able to distinguish trustworthy information from exaggerated claims, promotional content and unrealistic promises.
To address these concerns, the National Medical Commission (NMC), through its Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB), issued the Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication by Hospitals/Medical Institutions and Registered Medical Practitioners on 6 October 2026.
The guidelines aim to protect patients from misleading medical claims, preserve patient privacy, discourage the commercialization of healthcare and uphold the dignity of the medical profession. They also address the challenges created by social media, digital marketing and emerging technologies.
Official document: Read the NMC Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication
1. Why has the NMC introduced these guidelines?
Healthcare decisions are different from ordinary consumer purchases. Patients may be worried, vulnerable or unable to independently assess claims about treatments and clinical outcomes.
Statements such as “100% success rate”, “guaranteed cure” or “the best doctor” can create expectations that medical practice cannot always fulfill. Promotional material may also encourage unnecessary investigations or treatments.
The NMC guidelines seek to ensure that communication about medical services remains factual, accurate, transparent and capable of verification. They also address patient solicitation, misleading claims and the use of digital platforms for promotional purposes.
The guidelines should be read alongside the applicable professional-conduct regulations and other relevant laws. They do not replace existing legal requirements.
2. Can doctors use social media for professional communication?
Doctors can use digital platforms to share useful health information, but the distinction between public education and professional self-promotion is important.
Health education should help people understand symptoms, prevention, treatment options and when to seek medical attention. It should not be used as a disguised method of soliciting patients or promoting a doctor’s practice through prohibited claims.
For example, a general educational post explaining the warning signs of a wrist fracture serves a different purpose from a post claiming that a particular doctor provides the “best fracture treatment” or guarantees a particular outcome.
The guidelines also make clear that responsibility cannot automatically be avoided by using a third-party marketing agency, influencer or online platform. Where a doctor or institution has authorized, commissioned, sponsored, adopted or knowingly permitted prohibited content, using an intermediary does not by itself remove responsibility.
3. Which advertising claims are prohibited?
The guidelines specifically address exaggerated, unverifiable and misleading claims about medical services and professional success.
Examples of claims that doctors should not use in prohibited promotional contexts include:
- “Best doctor” or “No. 1 specialist”
- “100% success rate”
- “Guaranteed cure”
- “Painless treatment” when presented as an absolute promise
- “Miracle treatment” or “exclusive cure”
- Claims that create unrealistic expectations or conceal treatment risks
Doctors should not advertise their professional achievements, patient numbers or success rates through prohibited self-promotional claims. They should also avoid creating fear to generate demand for consultations, tests or procedures.
What does this mean in practice? Medical information should explain what a treatment may achieve, its limitations, possible risks and the factors that influence outcomes. Individual results vary, and no responsible communication should imply that every patient will have the same result.
4. Are patient testimonials and before-and-after photographs allowed?
Patient stories and clinical photographs are common on social media. They may appear persuasive, but they raise concerns about privacy, informed consent and the risk of turning an individual patient’s experience into a promotional promise.
The new guidelines restrict promotional use of patient testimonials, endorsements, treatment stories, before-and-after images and advertised surgical results.
Patient consent alone does not make a practice permissible if the underlying promotional activity is prohibited. Where patient information may lawfully be used, the applicable consent requirements and privacy safeguards must still be followed.
Doctors and healthcare institutions should therefore be cautious about posting:
- Patient photographs or identifiable clinical images for promotional purposes
- Videos or stories that identify a patient without appropriate safeguards
- Testimonials suggesting that a particular treatment guarantees success
- Celebrity patient visits used to attract attention to a practice
- Before-and-after images used to advertise clinical results
Scientific or educational publication is treated differently in the guidelines in specified circumstances, including requirements concerning anonymization and consent. This should not be interpreted as blanket permission to reuse clinical material for marketing.
5. Can doctors promote themselves through awards, rankings and achievements?
This is an important area for doctors who maintain professional websites, social media profiles or clinic blogs.
The guidelines restrict promotional claims such as “top”, “leading”, “most trusted” and “No. 1” unless the claim is objectively verifiable, based on a transparent and independently ascertainable methodology, and otherwise permitted under applicable law. Awards and rankings relied upon in advertising must be independently verifiable, with relevant details disclosed where necessary.
However, a claim being verifiable does not automatically make every form of promotional use permissible. The broader restrictions on self-advertisement and professional achievements also need to be considered.
Doctors should review how they present awards, fellowships, professional appointments, publications and other accomplishments online. Factual professional information in an appropriate directory or academic context is not necessarily the same as using an achievement to solicit patients.
Where a claim or its proposed use is uncertain, obtaining professional regulatory advice before publication is prudent.
6. What do the guidelines say about clinic websites?
The guidelines distinguish factual institutional information from promotional claims.
Hospitals and medical institutions may provide objective, verifiable information about matters such as:
- The name and location of the institution
- Contact details and consultation information
- Departments and services available
- Facilities, equipment and emergency services
- Accreditation status and applicable charges
A hospital website that provides a factual directory of doctors, including their names, recognized qualifications, specialties, registration details and availability, is specifically distinguished from a paid or promotional advertisement or inducement.
This distinction matters for clinics and hospitals that use websites to help patients understand what services are available.
A clinic website should be reviewed carefully to ensure that factual information is not mixed with exaggerated treatment promises, prohibited superiority claims, patient solicitation or promotional presentation of individual doctors.
The guidelines also address the promotional use of a doctor’s photograph, including on consulting-room letterheads and signboards. Doctors should not assume that every form of professional advertising or display is acceptable simply because it appears on their own website or clinic premises.
7. Can doctors continue to write medical blogs and educational articles?
Medical education remains an important way to help the public understand health conditions. However, a blog should be assessed not only by its medical accuracy but also by its purpose, presentation and compliance with the applicable professional rules.
The guidelines permit certain forms of health education and public-health communication, subject to their conditions. They also allow specified formal announcements, such as starting practice, changing practice address, temporary absence and publicly declaring consultation charges.
For doctors who publish health articles, the following principles are useful:
- Explain medical conditions in clear, patient-friendly language.
- Use reliable evidence and avoid unsupported treatment claims.
- Describe treatment options without promising a guaranteed result.
- Avoid fear-based messaging intended to generate appointments.
- Protect patient confidentiality and do not disclose identifiable clinical details.
- Do not turn educational content into prohibited personal promotion.
- Review photographs, graphics, testimonials and calls to action before publishing.
Important: The fact that an article is medically educational does not automatically exempt it from the guidelines. The overall content, context and promotional intent matter.
8. What about paid digital marketing, influencers and online reviews?
The guidelines address indirect promotion as well as direct advertising.
Doctors should not use influencers, celebrities, patients or other third parties to do indirectly what they are prohibited from doing themselves. Payments or benefits linked to referrals, patient procurement or lead generation are also addressed by the restrictions.
The guidelines prohibit the procurement or manipulation of fake followers, likes, reviews, ratings, testimonials, comments and views, as well as manipulating search rankings or algorithms to create a misleading impression of professional standing.
Healthcare platforms are also expected to follow applicable ethical advertising requirements, including the prohibition of paid ranking of doctors and the need for transparency in their listing practices.
For clinics, this means that digital marketing arrangements deserve careful review. Agencies and platforms should not be assumed to make a campaign compliant simply because the clinic does not publish the content directly.
9. What are the rules concerning artificial intelligence (AI)?
AI can help create educational material, but its use in healthcare communication must be responsible.
The guidelines prohibit AI-generated promotional campaigns intended to further commercial interests. They also restrict AI-generated or AI-assisted content that creates misleading or unverifiable representations about diagnoses, treatments, outcomes, qualifications, patient experiences or healthcare services.
AI must not be used to fabricate or manipulate a patient’s image, testimonial, voice or clinical outcome, or to create a synthetic endorsement that appears to come from a real patient, doctor or another person.
The guidelines require appropriate disclosure of AI-generated content in specified circumstances and state that permitted AI-generated promotional content must carry a source mark identifying its AI origin. Any use of patient information as input to an AI system must also comply with applicable privacy, confidentiality and professional-ethics requirements.
Doctors using AI tools to prepare patient education material should therefore verify the medical content, protect patient information and review the proposed use of the material before publication.
10. What action may be taken for violations?
The guidelines describe a graded approach to disciplinary or corrective action through the competent authorities, including State Medical Councils.
The measures contemplated include:
- First violation: Warning and mandatory ethics training
- Second violation: Censure and monetary penalty
- Third violation: Suspension of registration for three to six months
- Serious violations: Suspension for six to twelve months
- Repeated violations: Removal from the medical register for one to three years
The document also refers to applicable legal procedures and principles of natural justice. The action taken in an individual case will depend on the applicable law, the nature of the alleged violation and the decision of the competent authority.
These provisions make it important for doctors to review their existing online material and understand the requirements before publishing new content. They should not be interpreted as meaning that every error in a social media post automatically results in suspension; the applicable process and circumstances matter.
11. A practical checklist for doctors and clinics
Doctors and healthcare institutions may find it useful to review their digital presence systematically.
- Review clinic websites, professional profiles and social media posts.
- Remove or revise prohibited guarantees, exaggerated claims and unsupported superiority statements.
- Check how awards, rankings and professional achievements are presented.
- Review patient photographs, testimonials, case stories and clinical videos.
- Check whether digital agencies, influencers or third-party platforms are being used appropriately.
- Review paid listings, referral arrangements and online reputation-management practices.
- Ensure AI-generated material is accurate, appropriately disclosed where required and compliant with privacy rules.
- Keep clinic information factual, transparent and consistent with applicable requirements.
- Seek regulatory or legal advice where the interpretation or application of a provision is unclear.
This checklist is a practical starting point, not a substitute for reading the official document or obtaining case-specific advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can a doctor have a website under the new NMC guidelines?
The guidelines recognize that factual information about a healthcare institution and appropriate doctor-directory information can be provided. However, the website’s content and presentation must comply with the restrictions on promotion, solicitation and misleading claims.
Can doctors post educational videos on Instagram or YouTube?
Doctors may participate in public-health education and certain forms of educational communication, subject to the guidelines. Content should not be used as a vehicle for prohibited self-promotion, patient solicitation or misleading claims.
Can a doctor display patient testimonials with consent?
Consent alone does not make a prohibited testimonial or promotional patient story permissible. Doctors should review the specific restrictions and applicable privacy requirements before using patient material.
Can doctors mention their qualifications and professional appointments?
Factual professional information may be appropriate in certain contexts, including qualifying doctor directories. However, the guidelines also restrict promotional use of personal achievements and superiority claims. The context and manner of presentation are important.
Do these guidelines apply to digital marketing agencies working for clinics?
The guidelines address the use of third parties and make clear that an intermediary does not, by itself, remove responsibility for content a doctor or institution has authorized, commissioned, sponsored, adopted or knowingly permitted.
Where can doctors read the original guidelines?
The full document is available on the official National Medical Commission website.
Conclusion
The NMC’s October 2026 guidelines reinforce the importance of truthful, responsible and patient-centered communication in healthcare. They address not only traditional advertising but also the realities of social media, online reviews, patient images, digital marketing and AI-generated content.
For doctors and healthcare institutions, the practical priority is to review existing communication, understand the distinction between factual information and prohibited promotion, and seek clarification where necessary.
Digital platforms can support public understanding of health conditions, but professional communication must remain consistent with medical ethics, patient privacy and applicable regulations.
Disclaimer: This article is an educational summary of the NMC document and is not legal advice. Doctors and healthcare institutions should refer to the full official guidelines and obtain appropriate regulatory or legal advice for decisions about specific content or advertising practices.
About the author
Dr. Madhusudhan N.C. is an orthopedic and hand surgery specialist based in Bangalore, with professional interests in hand and upper-limb surgery, fractures, sports injuries, peripheral nerve conditions, microsurgery and reconstructive surgery. He was selected as an ASSH International Traveling Fellow (USA), 2026, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Hand Surgery (Asia-Pacific Volume).
Madhu Hand Surgery & Orthopaedic Centre
#115, 11th Main Road, 4th Cross, Coffee Board Layout, Hebbal Kempapura, Bangalore – 560024
Phone: 7899399839
Consultation: Monday to Saturday, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Primary source: National Medical Commission — Guidelines on Ethical Advertising and Public Communication