introducing
Q&A
increasing. We are now, of course, consulting with the profession and the public about
how to improve the transparency of some
ICRC outcomes. We are taking a deliberate,
principle-based approach to transparency.
One of our principles, for example, is that
we believe that certain regulatory processes
intended to improve competence may lead to
better outcomes for the public if they happen
confidentially. Another important principle
is that in order for the information to be
helpful to the public, it must be easy to find
and understand. We need to be sure that we
provide enough context and explanation to
allow anyone reading the content to be able
to make an informed decision.
We need to be sure that we provide enough
context and explanation to allow anyone reading
the content to be able to make an informed
decision.
Q. The committee that you have been
most closely associated with throughout your years of College involvement
is the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports
Committee. How has the ICRC changed
over the years?
A. The job of the Committee is to screen all
complaints from all sources, and decide how
to proceed. Only a minority of the complaints involve serious issues, such as sexual
abuse or incompetence. Often, there are
cases which suggest that the physician can be
remediated and learn from the experience.
Our approach to remediation has developed
considerably over the last five years. Some
physicians will volunteer to take further
education when they receive a complaint. In
2009, we gained the power to order a specified continuing educational and remediation
program or what we call a SCERP. We will
order a SCERP when we feel it is very important for the doctor to learn more about a subject and efforts to reach a voluntary remedial
agreement have been unsuccessful. We now
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Dialogue Issue 4, 2014
develop detailed individual educational plans
which set goals based on CANMEDS roles.
And – very importantly – we always have a
follow-up assessment to ensure that the physician has incorporated the learning of clinical
issues into practice.
Q. What kind of avenues of action does
the ICRC have available when system
issues are noted?
A. Often systems issues such as availability
of resources, lack of clarity about how to
incorporate services such as telemedicine or
lack of protocols around care transfers come
into play. If we see a theme emerging, we
will bring that to the Policy department to
be considered when policies are reviewed and
initiated. On occasion, we may communicate
with a particular hospital or other outside
entity. Our experience is that hospitals are
generally appreciative of issues that we bring
to their attention for their review. In fact, we
sometimes get response letters telling us how
the systems issue was looked at and changed
as a result of our communication.
We will bring some iss