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FORUM

The Image of Physiotherapy as Portrayed in Advertisements Tim M o m s Catherine Moms

Key Wonls Physiotherapy. image, advertisements, professionalism.

summery Medii presentations of physiotherapists provide an imght into how they are perceived and 588 themselves. Advertisements presented to the pmfess&n provide an example of images that are thought to be acceptable to the profession. In examining the images of physiotherapists in advertisements there is a dis- crepancy with the reality of clinical practice. The results suggest that physiotherapists are subject to bias in the same way as society in general, but also that particular trends in Sen per- tion are evident. Physiotherapists may have difficulties in dearly demonstrating thair professronal standing to memsetves and others.

Introduction The image of physiotherapy and physiothera- pists across a wide range of media used to attract detailed monthly coverage in Physiotkr- apy. Contributions to the Media Watch section outnumber the space available to report them. Such images are important in the promotion of the profession to outside bodies. Little attention, however, hae been paid to the images that are presented to the profession itself. Multiple images of physiotherapists occur throughout Frontline in the form of photographs and draw- ings accompanying articles, news items and con- ference reports. Such images also occur in the form of advertisements.

It was decided to look at this particular issue after a sexualised advertisement with a phyaio- therapiet depicted as a princess and the patient depicted as a prince and being ‘kissed better’ first appeared in the Journal (Physiotherapy, 1994).

Advertisements Advertiaementa play a significant and neceeeary part in most scientific journals within the health field. Adverts attempt to persuade prospective

customers, in this c a w physiotherapists, to buy particular products or services. The images used in these advertisements are carefidly chosen in order to appeal to prospective customers. The images used for other health care professionals have been examined (Krantzler, 1986) and are thought to depict stylised versions of profeesion- als. They also reflect trends in self-perceptions of the profession (Aber et a l , 1992). No such examination has been made for physiothera- pists.

While individual advertisements conform to strict standards, examining a series of advertilse- ments gives a reflection of the general image that is being portrayed. The advertisements (excluding recruitment) in 32 issues of Physw- therapy, from January 1992 until August 1994, were examined. A significant number of adver- tisementa do not feature physiotherapists a t all, only equipment. There were 59 advertisements featuring 103 therapists; 62 (60%) were female and 4 1 (40%) male. The therapists appeared young with 112 (98%) being estimated at under 36 yeam. All therapists depicted aeemed to be white Caucasian. Recogniaable uniforms were worn by 84 (81%) but none had evidence of a CSP badge. Two (3.3%) advertisementa did not project profeseional activity and showed thera- piata in tern of serualieed images.

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Discussion Physiotherapy advertising appears to use images different from the reality of physiother- apy practice. The failure to show physiothera- pists accompanying machines in many advertisements could indicate that the skills of a therapist may be replaced by a machine or that a therapist is not an essential requirement in treatment. In advertisements featuring thera- pists the young and white image portrayed prob- ably conforms to the current ageist and racist views prevalent in society and health care advertising (Tietze et al, 1990), rather than being a particular feature of physiotherapists. The over-representation of male therapists (93% of physiotherapists are female (Prudence, 1994)) may be related to the representation of males in more senior positions within other areas of the health service and those placing the advertise- menta may believe men to be budget holders and aim their advertising accordingly. The drew of the figures in the advertieements suggests a pro- feseional therapist, but their failure to be clearly identifiable with a CSP badge indicates how dif- fidt it ia to dieerimina te between chartered and other therapists. This difficulty may be experi- enced by the advertisers and the general public. The recent use, even if only occasional, of sexu- d e e d and non-professional images should cer- tainly be discouraged and indicates that these mieperceptiona of the profmion do remain.

An implication of the discrepancy between real- ity and imagery could be that advertisers see us this way and have not received feedback to cor- rect the image. It could be that because advertis-

Even the men aro young and Caucasian

ers pay, we feel compelled to accept inaccurate representation, or that physiotherapists are not interested in how they are portrayed. However, previous research suggests that such advertise- ment images actually reflect trends in self per- ception of other professions, and this is also likely to be true of physiotherapy. Perhaps there is a need to concentrate not only on the public image but also on the self-oriented image of physiotherapy.

Authors 777 Mom MB ChB MRCPsych is a psychiatrist working in the psychiatry of learning disabilities, Southport. Cathenine Morris GradDipPhys MCSP is a senior physiothera- pist in the out-patient department at Broadgreen Hospital, Liver- pool, and also works in private practice.

Address for Correspondence Dr T Morris, Department of Psychiatty, Hesketh Centre, Albert Road, Southport PR9 OLT.

ROtklWMWS

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Aber, C S and Hawkins, J W (1992). ‘Portrayal of nurses in advertisements in medical and nursing journals’, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 24,4,289-293. Tietze, K J and SmK. M C (1 990). ‘More on sex and racial bias in pharmaceutical advertisements’, New England Journal of

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