Checklist for Communicating a Clinic’s Services Through Digital Channels

A website, social media, and other digital channels can help a clinic explain which services it provides and how to contact it. But when a communication promotes healthcare services, it is not enough for it to be attractive: it must also be truthful, understandable, and respectful of clinical and regulatory limits. Royal Decree 1907/1996 is part of the national framework, together with other rules and professional criteria; specific regional requirements may also apply.

This checklist is intended as an editorial review before publication. It does not replace a legal or professional assessment of the specific case: obligations depend, among other factors, on the territory, the type of centre, and the service being advertised.

Checklist before publication

1. Describe the service accurately

• Explain what the service or treatment involves using clear language that the intended audience can understand.
• State the types of needs or cases for which it is offered, without implying that it is suitable for everyone.
• Distinguish between general information and an individual clinical assessment. Avoid presenting a post as a diagnosis or a guarantee of suitability.
• Check that the names of treatments, technologies, and specialties match the services the clinic actually provides.

2. Review credentials and claims

• Present the team’s qualifications, specialties, experience, and roles accurately. Do not claim credentials you cannot verify.
• Keep documentary evidence to support claims about effectiveness, treatment characteristics, or professional experience.
• If you mention percentages or results, make sure they are justified and placed in context. A figure on its own can convey a degree of certainty that does not reflect the variability of each case.
• Avoid expressions such as “guaranteed result,” “success assured,” or “risk-free.” Do not present as certain an outcome that depends on individual circumstances.

3. Explain benefits without creating false expectations

• Describe potential benefits, including their limits, without assuring that they will occur for everyone.
• Do not downplay risks, side effects, contraindications, or uncertainties that are relevant to understanding the service.
• Avoid categorical comparisons that present a treatment as always superior to others or to services offered by other professionals.
• Review headlines, images, videos, and short texts: they can also create expectations even when the rest of the page includes caveats.

4. Handle testimonials and promotions with care

• Check that testimonials do not become an implicit promise of results for other people.
• Review comparisons, offers, and urgency messages to ensure they do not conceal important conditions or distort information about the service.
• Do not assume that a practice acceptable in general commercial advertising is also acceptable for a healthcare activity. Professional codes and territorial rules may impose additional criteria.

5. Make the call to action clear

• State the requested action directly: for example, requesting information or booking an appointment.
• Do not present contacting the clinic or making a booking as confirmation that the person needs a treatment or will obtain a particular result.
• Check that practical information—such as the services advertised and contact details—is up to date and consistent across channels.

6. Check the territory and format

• Identify which autonomous community regulates or supervises the advertised activity and check the requirements that apply to that centre and service.
• Check whether prior authorization, registration, a report, or another procedure is required for the content or medium. Do not assume that a local requirement applies throughout Spain, or that no requirements apply because the content is a digital publication.
• Also review the general rules on healthcare advertising and the criteria of the relevant professional association.
• If the message is changed or adapted to another format, check whether it needs to be reviewed or submitted again. In Aragón, for example, information from the Official College of Physicians of Zaragoza states that prior regional authorization is mandatory and that authorized content must not be modified without starting a new procedure. This is a territorial example, not a general rule for all autonomous communities.

The same review for websites and social media

Healthcare communications are not limited to paid advertisements. The position paper of the Barcelona Medical Association includes information disseminated through websites and other media among advertising activities, and notes that social media have made promotion more dynamic and interactive. It is therefore advisable to review both a campaign and regular posts, professional profiles, and service pages.

The practical conclusion is simple: each message should make it possible to understand what the clinic offers without turning a clinical possibility into a commercial certainty. Before publishing, check the content against the national, regional, and professional rules applicable to the activity and territory.