Policy on Disclosure of Professional Information (2013)

Skip to content

Policy on Disclosure of Professional Information (2013)

The FMRAC Policy on Disclosure of Professional Information is in two parts:

Part A – Principles Applicable to Completing a Certificate of Professional Conduct Part B – Content of a Certificate of Professional Conduct

Download the PDF document（https://ugs.gum.mybluehost.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Policy_on_Disclosure_of_Professional_Information-EN-June-2013.pdf）

Part A: Principles Applicable to Completing a Certificate of Professional Conduct

Definition of complaint

In the FMRAC Policy on Disclosure of Professional Information, a complaint means any Initiating communication which:

is an expression of concern about the conduct, competence or capacity of the registrant or former registrant, about which the registrant or former registrant is aware;

identifies a registrant or former registrant of the issuing medical regulatory authority;

is made by any person (including the Registrar of the issuing medical regulatory);

meets the legal criteria or procedures in the jurisdiction in question; and

does not necessarily have to lead to an action.

Risk of not disclosing

The fundamental purpose of Section 4 d.iii. and Section 4 j. (see Part B: Content of a Certificate of Professional Conduct) is to ensure the public is protected by assessing the potential risk of not disclosing certain information. There are times when a physician’s complaint history in totality is such that the issuing medical regulatory authority determines that this information should be shared with other medical regulatory authorities. The factors that an issuing medical regulatory authority should consider when making a decision that a pattern of conduct exists as contemplated by section 4 d.iii. include:

The nature and gravity of the alleged conduct.

The number of allegations. (The threshold will vary, depending on the nature and gravity of the conduct.)

The frequency or widespread nature of the alleged conduct.

The time frame over which the allegations have occurred.

Insight, i.e., the degree to which the physician accepted responsibility (where appropriate) and took appropriate steps to address the concerns.

Repetition/recurrence of the alleged conduct after educational initiatives completed by a physician as a result of a prior complaint of a similar nature.

The extent to which the physician’s alleged conduct may have negatively affected the care of patients or relationships with other persons involved in providing care to patients.

The extent to which the physician’s alleged conduct may adversely affect the reputation of the medical profession.

There is a great degree of interrelatedness among these factors.

When no information is provided in a section

Where an issuing medical regulatory authority does not include any information in a section of the CPC, the CPC must specify why no information is included in that section. Examples include:

There is nothing to report.

The medical regulatory authority does not have access to the information.

The medical regulatory authority does not collect the information.

Date of information collection

Where the issuing medical regulatory authority began to collect a particular type of information on a specified date, that date must be indicated in the CPC.

Best available information

Disclosure is based on the best information available to the issuing medical regulatory authority as of the date of the CPC.

Part B: Content of a Certificate of Professional Conduct

The following information will be contained in the Certificates of Professional Conduct (CPC) issued by the medical regulatory authorities of Canada:

Identification of the issuing medical regulatory authority.