Who is AHPRA?

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) is a regulatory body that works with the National Boards to implement the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) in Australia. AHPRA’s primary role is to ensure the public is protected by regulating health practitioners and ensuring they meet professional standards.

Who is the TGA?

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the regulatory authority for therapeutic goods in Australia. It operates under the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and is responsible for ensuring the safety, efficacy, and quality of therapeutic goods available in Australia.

What is their relationship with each other?

The relationship between the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is particularly relevant in the context of nurses performing cosmetic injectable procedures. Both agencies play crucial roles in ensuring the safety, quality, and regulation of these practices.

This relationship ensures that nurses performing cosmetic injectable procedures do so safely and effectively. AHPRA regulates the qualifications and practices of the nurses, while the TGA regulates the safety and quality of the products they use. Their collaborative efforts help protect public health and maintain high standards in the cosmetic industry.

How does affect the contents of this website and any associated social media?

The relationship between AHPRA and the TGA, along with their respective regulations, significantly impacts how nurses advertise their services and use social media, particularly in the context of cosmetic injectable procedures.

Advertising and Social Media Guidelines:

AHPRA’s Role:
1. Advertising Guidelines:
– AHPRA has specific guidelines for advertising regulated health services, which apply to all health practitioners, including nurses. These guidelines ensure that advertising is accurate, ethical, and not misleading.

2. Use of Titles and Qualifications:
– Nurses must accurately represent their qualifications and scope of practice in their advertisements and on social media. Misleading use of titles or suggesting qualifications that are not held is prohibited.

3. Prohibition of Testimonials: – AHPRA prohibits the use of testimonials in advertising health services. Nurses cannot use patient reviews or endorsements in their marketing materials or social media posts.

4. Advertising Health Benefits: 
– Any claims about the benefits of cosmetic injectable procedures must be supported by evidence. Nurses cannot make false or exaggerated claims about the effectiveness or safety of these procedures.

5. Professional Conduct:
– Nurses are expected to maintain professional conduct on social media. This includes respecting patient confidentiality, obtaining informed consent for any content shared, and avoiding posts that could be considered unprofessional or misleading.

TGA’s Role:
1. Advertising Therapeutic Goods:
– The TGA regulates the advertising of therapeutic goods, including cosmetic injectables. Advertisements must comply with the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code, which ensures that the information is accurate, balanced, and not misleading.

2. Prohibited Representations: 
– Certain representations, such as suggesting a product is endorsed by the TGA or making unfounded therapeutic claims, are prohibited. Nurses must ensure their advertisements and social media posts do not violate these regulations.

3. Social Media Influencers:
– Nurses acting as social media influencers must ensure their posts comply with both AHPRA and TGA guidelines. This includes transparent disclosure of any sponsorships or partnerships and adherence to regulations on advertising therapeutic goods.

In summary ....

Advertising therapeutic goods to the public that contain substances included in Schedule 4 (prescription-only medicines) or Schedule 8 (controlled drugs) is prohibited. 

Decisions about treatments that involve the use of prescription-only medicines are made by a health professional in consultation with each individual patient. 

Do not directly or indirectly promote prescription-only medicines

This applies to terms that act as a substitute for direct references to prescription-only medicines such as ‘plant-based medicine’, ‘wrinkle reducing injections’ or ‘weight loss injections’.

The TGA considers price information for a prescription-only medicine to be an advertisement for that medicine.

This includes references made directly or indirectly to prescription-only medicines through references such as: 

  • a trade name
  • an abbreviation or acronym
  • a colloquial name.

Either directly or indirectly, you cannot make any reference in your advertisement for cosmetic injection services to prescription-only substances or to product trade names of such products. This includes acronyms, nicknames, abbreviations and hashtags, which may be taken by a consumer as a reference to a specific prescription-only medicine or substance. 
This includes: 

  • anti-wrinkle injections 
  • dermal fillers 
  • injectable products used for improvement of the appearance of submental fat.  

 

Therapeutic Goods Administration. (2024). Advertising health services. Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Federal Government.  https://www.tga.gov.au/resources/resource/guidance/advertising-health-services