Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Advertisers wanting to refer to themselves as “Dr”, “a doctor” or similar, should take care not to imply that they hold a general medical qualification if they do not. The need for clarity is greatest when marketers are making health-related claims and the ASA has taken the tough line on marketers calling themselves ‘Dr’ in the context of health. The safest and simplest way to avoid confusing consumers is that if they do not possess a general medical qualification, advertisers should not call themselves “Dr”.
In 2024, the ASA investigated an aesthetic clinic listing on an appointment booking service which referred to the practitioner as “Dr Bunny” . The ASA considered that because the marketer had been unable to demonstrate that the individual held a general medical, the use of the term “Dr” was misleading (Dr Bunny Aesthetics, 24 April 2024).
For sector specific advice on using the prefix 'Dr', please see the following guidance:
Use of the term “Dr”: Chinese Medicine Practitioners
Use of the term “Dr”: Chiropractors
Use of the term “Dr”: Dentists