AHPRA Advertising Guidelines for Medical Practices: What You Can and Cannot Advertise in 2026

Q.What Are the Key AHPRA Advertising Rules?

Prohibited Content in Medical Advertising

• No guaranteed outcomes — You cannot claim or imply that a treatment will achieve a specific result. Phrases like "guaranteed results" or "100% success rate" are prohibited
• No testimonials — Using patient testimonials in advertising is prohibited under the National Law. This includes written reviews, video testimonials, and patient stories that could be interpreted as recommending a practitioner or service
• No misleading before/after images — Before and after photographs must not be presented in a way that is misleading or creates unreasonable expectations
• No false or misleading claims — Any claim about your qualifications, experience, or treatment outcomes must be accurate and verifiable
• No creating unreasonable expectations — Your advertising must not create an expectation of beneficial treatment that cannot be guaranteed
• No offering gifts or discounts that encourage unnecessary services — Promotions must not incentivise patients to undergo treatments they do not need

What You Can Advertise

• Your qualifications, registrations, and accreditations (accurately stated)
• Services and treatments you are qualified to provide
• Practice location, hours, and contact information
• General health education and awareness content
• Appointment booking information
• Practice facilities and equipment (accurately represented)
• Fee information and payment options

Q.How Testimonials Work Under AHPRA Rules

• You cannot solicit testimonials — Asking patients to leave Google reviews that recommend your services is technically a breach
• You cannot use testimonials in advertising — Featuring patient quotes on your website, social media, or marketing materials is not permitted if they recommend you as a practitioner
• You can display Google Reviews — Reviews that appear on third-party platforms like Google are generally acceptable as long as you did not solicit them for advertising purposes and do not selectively display them
• Patient experience content is different from testimonials — General patient experience information (such as what to expect during a visit) is acceptable

Common Mistakes That Get Australian Practices in Trouble

Based on our experience working with Australian healthcare clients, these are the most frequent compliance issues:

• Using patient testimonials on websites — Many practices feature patient quotes on their homepage without realising this breaches advertising guidelines
• Before/after photos without proper context — Presenting before/after images without adequate disclaimers about individual results varying
• Social media posts with outcome claims — Posting treatment results with captions implying everyone will achieve the same outcome
• Using titles or qualifications incorrectly — Claiming specialisations you are not formally recognised for by AHPRA
• Staff sharing patient content — When practitioners share patient-related content on personal social media, this can be classified as advertising

AHPRA Compliance Checklist for Your Marketing

Use this checklist before publishing any marketing material:

• Does it contain any patient testimonials or endorsements? If yes, remove them
• Does it make any claims about treatment outcomes? If yes, ensure they are evidence-based and include appropriate qualifications
• Does it create unreasonable expectations? Review from a patient perspective
• Are all qualifications and titles accurately represented? Cross-check with AHPRA register
• Does it offer incentives that could encourage unnecessary treatment? Review promotional offers
• Are before/after images genuine, accurate, and accompanied by appropriate disclaimers?

FAQ