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Physician Peer Review

The new program will provide the opportunity to have direct peer feedback - which is something physicians rarely have the opportunity to receive. We all strive to do our best, but it's a privilege to have a knowledgeable colleague sit down and discuss our practice with us.
Dr. Stewart Cameron, Peer Reviewer

Physician Peer Review Nova Scotia

The College’s new Physician Peer Review Nova Scotia (PPR-NS) program is designed to proactively support physicians to improve their practice and patient outcomes.

Peer and practice assessment is a requirement of the Medical Act. It is intended to support physicians through ongoing practice improvement in order to ensure high standards of practice throughout their professional lives.

The PPR-NS is a collegial program developed with extensive physician participation incorporating best practices in physician assessment. The resulting new program blends traditional elements of peer review with an innovative approach to quality improvement.

Trained peer reviewers help physicians identify opportunities and match them with the right resources to enhance their practice.

The Peer Review Program of Nova Scotia video provides physicians with an overview of what to expect during their peer review.

A standard peer review includes:

  1. A site visit, assessing and providing feedback on a physician’s practice facility, processes and procedures, documentation and patient care.
  2. A discussion of the various risk and supportive factors, unique in profile to each physician’s practice, which may influence long term quality.
  3. A review of the physician’s approach to practice improvement, introducing strategies for linking professional development to potential gaps in practice.

In some circumstances, physicians will be offered the option of a more limited off-site practice review with a corresponding greater emphasis on continuing professional development (CPD).

PPR-NS launched in 2017 with a plan to initiate 80 family physician practice reviews by year end. 2018 will see the introduction of additional specialties and an increase in the overall number of reviews conducted.