The has recently updated the following practice standards and professional guidelines: Primary Care Provision in Walk-in and Multi-Registrant Clinics, Medical Assistance in Dying, Prescribing Practices Countersigning Prescription and Internet Prescribing, and Referral-Consultation Process.
Primary Care Provision in Walk-in and Multi-Registrant Clinics has been updated to remove the qualifier “repeatedly and consistently” when referencing patients who can be assumed to be receiving their primary care from a walk-in clinic, as patients who do not identify a family physician or nurse practitioner as being most responsible for their care, but who attend a clinic, can expect to receive their primary care from that clinic. Additionally, the standard was revised to clarify that the role of the medical director does not include a singular responsibility for compliance with Bylaws and practice standards as this is a shared responsibility of all registrants working at the clinic.
Medical Assistance in Dying has been updated to remove the principle “ensure that the request for MAiD is made in writing before an independent witness” from the eligibility assessment section to the prescribing section to align with the Criminal Code and reduce repetition as the requirement is already captured in Prescribing MAiD (d).
Prescribing Practices Countersigning Prescription and Internet Prescribing was updated to acknowledge that in addition to face-to-face encounters, an appropriate virtual encounter with a patient can also occur.
Referral-Consultation Process was updated with a sentence requiring the referring registrant to include the name and contact information of the clinic, facility or practice setting where they have seen the patient in case direct follow-up is required.
Any questions regarding the updated practice standards and professional guidelines may be directed to communications@cpsbc.ca.