CPSA has 3 practice standards on hot topics open for public consultation

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is seeking feedback on three standards of practice. The college needed to either revise or create the standards due to new provincial or federal legislation. They deal with female genital mutilation, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) and prescribing for opioid use disorder. The public consultations are open until Jan. 11. Changes to Alberta’s Mental Health Services Protection Regulation in October prompted the revisions to the standard of practice on safe prescribing for opioid use disorder. Now, patients with severe opioid use disorder or addiction who haven’t been able to start or stabilize on conventional opioid agonist treatment (e.g., methadone or slow-release morphine) need to go through Alberta Health’s narcotic transition services. The standard of practice revision includes information on transfer of care and requirements physicians must follow if the patient doesn’t have a community prescriber. The new standard of practice on female genital mutilation was created as part of a requirement of new Alberta legislation, the Health Professions (Protecting Women and Girls) Amendment Act. While carrying out female genital mutilation is punishable under the federal Criminal Code, the CPSA practice standard deals mainly with how to report and protect women and girls who’ve had female genital mutilation or are at risk of getting it. The draft practice standard states that physicians who may have patients in their practice affected by female genital mutilation must educate themselves on how it presents, what complications are associated with it, and how to manage these complications. The CPSA has also revised the existing standard of practice for MAiD to include the expansion to people who have mental illness as their sole underlying condition. The expansion is to become available on March 17, 2023, unless the federal government approves a delay in its implementation. Health Canada is leading a task force to provide medical regulators with model standards of practice. The standards of practice are on the CPSA’s website. Read: Are physicians ready for the MAiD expansion to include mental illness?

CPSA has 3 practice standards on hot topics open for public consultation

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