The College is finalizing revisions to one standard and one guideline that were both circulated to the profession for input in 2017.
During the consultation process, the standard Safe Prescribing of Drugs with Potential for Misuse/Diversion received extensive feedback from physicians, representatives from patient support groups, members of the public through an online engagement platform, the Canadian Medical Protective Association and other key health partners, members of the College’s Prescription Review Panel, and the Board. The revised standard will be re-circulated for final consultation in May with a detailed explanation of the changes.
The guideline Expectations of the Relationship between the Primary Care/Consulting Physician and Consultant Physician also received valuable feedback from the profession and others during consultation. To ensure the revisions addressed the many concerns about gaps in the referral process expressed by primary care physicians and specialists, the College established an advisory group of GPs and specialists to work with members of the Patient Relations, Professional Standards and Ethics Committee on redrafting the document. Once the revised guideline has been considered by the Board, it will be circulated for final consultation.