How the College develops professional standards of practice

About

As part of its mandate to serve the public through the effective regulation of medical practice, the College develops Professional Standards of Practice.

The College aims to develop professional standards in alignment with its values, which include a commitment to promoting professionalism and excellence in medical care, transparency, accountability and collaboration.

The Professional Standards Committee (PSC), comprised of physicians and public members of the College’s governing Council, is responsible for developing standards and guidelines for the medical profession.

The objectives of the College’s process for developing professional standards are:

• Relevancy: to create evidence-based professional standards that reflect best practices and legislative requirements
• Transparency: to provide opportunities to engage stakeholders and solicit feedback for consideration in informing professional standards
• Education: to provide opportunities for physician and public education on issues relating to medical practice

The College develops professional standards for the medical profession by way of the following steps:

Research

Devleoping professional standards and guidelines begins by undertaking research that can include the following:

• identifying issues relating to specific areas of practice or professional activity
• conducting a literature review
• reviewing relevant legislation
• reviewing evidence-based best practices
• conducting environmental scans to determine how an issue may be addressed by other organizations

Consultation

Upon the completion of research, the Professional Standards Committee determines what consultation may be undertaken to inform the development of a standard or guideline. Consultation plays a unique role in developing professional standards of practice. It provides opportunities for meaningful collaboration while supporting greater transparency of the College’s work.

The College’s approach to consultation is rooted in best practices as provided by the International Association of Public Participation. Accordingly, the College designs and delivers consultation in alignment with the following principles:

• Openness: clearly articulate the purpose of the consultation and the role it plays in the decision-making process
• Diversity: solicit and capture input from diverse and expert stakeholders
• Accessibility: support participation by providing opportunities for offline and online input
• Reporting: inform stakeholders throughout the process and report on the findings of a consultation

Among the questions the Professional Standards Committee typically examines when determining the role consultation will play in the development of a standard are:

• Is the document under review an existing or new professional standard?
• If an existing standard is under review are there significant changes required?
• If a new standard is required what are the key issues upon which to consult?
• Does the standard address matters that are regularly the subject of public complaints?
• Are there new legislative requirements that must be addressed by the standard?

The Professional Standards Committee identifies who is most appropriate to consult with on any given issue and may identify key questions for the consultation. All consultation aims to be accessible by providing opportunities for input both offline and online. All feedback is considered and may or may not be reflected in the final standard.

Analysis

Upon completion of any consultation, the Professional Standards Committee undertakes the following:

• a discussion of identified issues
• a review of consultation findings
• a determination on what direction the standard should provide on identified issues

The committee then directs staff to finalize the document.

Approval

Professional standards and guidelines are first approved by the Professional Standards Committee and then presented to the Council of the College for consideration.

The Council is comprised of elected physicians, appointed public members and a medical student representative. At this juncture, the Council can approve a standard or send it back to committee if further deliberation is required. Final approval of all professional standards and guidelines is the responsibility of the Council. Once approved standards are then published on the College’s website.