FROM THE REGISTRAR’S DESK
Sharing our data in ways that
align with our mandate, priorities
A
Rocco Gerace, MD
Registrar
Where we possess
information that can
lead to improvements,
then it should be shared
s the medical regulator, the
College is in possession of
unique information that is
much in demand by other organizations. As a result, each year we
receive a number of requests asking
us to share our data for various
purposes.
We have never treated these
requests lightly. As the custodian
of physician information, we have
strict obligations that govern decisions to share information. We
never allow, for example, the release
of information to commercial entities. We are compliant with confidentiality and privacy obligations
and we had a policy in place that
allowed physicians to opt-out of the
release of their public information
under certain circumstances.
Recently, however, we noticed
that the nature of the requests we
received for our data were changing
and the tools we had relied upon
to decide which requests should
be granted and which should be
denied were no longer sufficient.
Earlier this year, Council members stated that the College should
contribute data externally for
initiatives that will lead to system
improvement. Specifically, Council
members expressed the desire to
see our data shared if the information would improve the quality and
continuity of patient care, and has
a positive impact on health systems and regulatory processes and
outcomes.
This direction makes sense. After
all, we are an important stakeholder, and where we possess information that can lead to improvements,
then it should be shared – once
confidentiality provisions are in
place, of course.
At its meeting in September,
Council approved a strategy that
will ensure that we share data in
ways that align with College priorities and our mandate, while always
fulfilling our privacy and confidentiality obligations.
The data-sharing strategy includes
a vision, an oversight structure and
a new decision-making tool. The
vision will serve as a principled
foundation on which data-sharing
will be based. There are two key
components to the vision: responsible data stewardship and knowledge contribution.
What do we mean by knowledge
contribution? For example, in providing information about program
data – such as the number of family
physicians in a particular municipality or the number of endoscopy
procedures performed in out-ofhospital premises – our data could
help support government planning
and decision making.
Knowledge contribution, however, is just one part of the vision that
underpins the new data-sharing
strategy. The vision also includes a
responsible data stewardship com-
DIALOGUE • Issue 3, 2014
7