Marketing issues in healthcare research

How marketing knowledge is applied to the healthcare sector is examined to identify where this knowledge is being used and can be used better. Social marketing, market segmentation, new technologies and consumer empowerment are discussed. Relevance is first established before considering how social marketing is being applied. Limitations and problems are discussed, of which one is the failure to target effectively. Healthcare sector segmentation is considered in terms of ethnicity, given the need to often distinguish and target minority groups. The continuing growth in availability and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) opens the sector to an array of marketing applications with significant strategic considerations for competing businesses. While the use of ICT has implications for consumer empowerment, understanding of the links and the interactions between the marketing activities of business using ICT and the empowerment of consumers of healthcare, is another area in need of further research.