The Practice Guide
If a physician knows that he or she has a serious condition that could be passed on to patients, or that his or her judgment or performance could be significantly affected by a condition or illness, or its treatment, that physician should seek professional advice about ongoing clinical practice.
3. Collegiality Collegiality is cooperative interaction between colleagues. The collegiality of relationships can affect the comprehensiveness and continuity of care patients receive, particularly through the referral and consultation processes. For this reason, physicians should be collegial in their dealings with one another. Mutual trust, respect, and knowledge of each other’ s expertise, skills and responsibilities are all important to establishing collegial relationships.
This is not to say that collegiality may be used to mask ineffective or inappropriate practice, or to protect incompetent or incapacitated physicians. Rather, physicians should accept and support meaningful peer evaluation as a mechanism for upholding the standards of the profession.
Collegiality also fosters cooperation as a profession. At times, it is as a unified voice that physicians can best advance their patients’ interests. Physicians should support each other not only individually, but should also, collectively, support the profession in working for the public interest.
Physicians should enter into professional associations and collaborations only if, in doing so, they can maintain professional integrity and safeguard the interests of their patients.
MANAGING CONFLICTING DUTIES
Conflict among the duties outlined in the guide is inevitable. When conflict arises, you should first refer to the fundamental values that ground the principles and duties that follow. For example, if there is a conflict between a physician’ s obligation to a patient and the obligation to the system( e. g., efficiency), the profession’ s commitment to the value of altruism makes it clear that the patient should always come first.
Conflicts will not always involve a clear choice between values, instead requiring a balancing of duties and values to determine the best way to proceed. Consultation with colleagues, the College and / or the CMPA or other insurance provider is often the best way to work through these issues.
To remain responsive, the College welcomes your feedback on the guide and the policies it frames, all of which are available online at www. cpso. on. ca.
Top Twelve Policies
• Medical Records
• Accepting New Patients
• Consent to Treatment
• Confidentiality of Personal Health Information
• Delegation of Controlled Acts
• Ending the Physician-Patient Relationship
• Block Fees and Uninsured Services
• Prescribing Drugs
• Maintaining Appropriate Boundaries and Preventing Sexual Abuse
• Third Party Reports
• Test Results Management
• Mandatory and Permissive Reporting
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