Assuring and Enhancing Physician Competence
IMPROVING
Assuring and Enhancing Physician Competence
Once a physician is registered by the College to practise medicine, we have a duty to assure good quality practice and to promote continuing evaluation, competence and physician improvement throughout his or her career. Supporting physicians in their practices and lifelong learning helps Ontario doctors and, ultimately, their patients.
Assessment – An Opportunity for Learning
In 2016, the College conducted 2,817 assessments. Our assessments provide physicians with an excellent opportunity to learn where practice improvements can be made.
As the figure on Page 14 indicates, most physicians who are randomly chosen for a peer assessment receive a satisfactory outcome. But over the last few years, we have been asking ourselves how we can make the assessment more useful to that vast majority of physicians who are already practising good medicine. How can the physician emerge from the process with new tools and insights to deliver high quality and consistent patient care?
Using the lens of continuous quality improvement, we are revising our assessment program to reflect evidence-based approaches to assessment and identify useful resources to raise the bar on the delivery of care. A multi-year effort, our re-visioning project aims to create an assessment model in which the right assessment is employed for the right physician at the right time.
Through the use of evidence and consultation, a new approach to peer assessment is now being
Fast Fact Still in its early stages of development, our Educational Strategic Initiative will coordinate physician education across all Committees and programs, to ensure consistency with respect to physician needs assessment and educational activities.
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12 COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO