ºÚÁÏÉç

Revision process

All practice standards and professional guidelines undergo the following revision process.

Step 1: Identify issue

The need for a new or revised practice standard or professional guideline may be identified externally by

• members of the public
• the BC Public Advisory Network
• registrants
• key health partners

The need may also be identified internally by the ºÚÁÏÉç Board, committees and staff.

The need to create or revise a practice standard or professional guideline is often guided by the following:

• patient experiences
• societal events
• new or amended legislation relevant to the practice of medicine

All practice standards and professional guidelines are tracked on a three-year review cycle and undergo a comprehensive review at least every three years.

Step 2: Analysis

Further research is done during the analysis stage once the need for a new or revised practice standard or professional guideline is identified. This includes a literature review and an environmental scan. This work helps ºÚÁÏÉç staff gain an understanding of what information is set out in related policies or publications.

The ºÚÁÏÉç often reaches out to other health care regulators to gather information about similar policies and practice standards they have implemented, and what they may have learned from a recent review or engagement process.

Step 3: Development

The information gathered in the research and analysis stage is then used to draft the new or revised practice standard or professional guideline.

At this stage, the ºÚÁÏÉç often draws feedback from the following on the proposed edits and engagement plan:

• Patient Relations, Professional Standards and Ethics (PRPSE) Committee
• the public
• registrants
• key health partners for feedback

Further engagement may be required to gather in-depth understanding if the feedback indicates the topic is controversial or complex.

As a last step in the development process, the draft practice standard or professional guideline is shared with the ºÚÁÏÉç’s senior management team, registrar and director, communications and public affairs for a final review.

Step 4: Implementation

The practice standard or professional guideline is then presented to the Executive Committee or the Board for final approval to publish to the ºÚÁÏÉç’s website.

Internal and external announcements are made once the practice standard or professional guideline is published. New practice standards and professional guidelines are also highlighted in the ºÚÁÏÉç Connector. The ºÚÁÏÉç often uses social media, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, to notify stakeholders.