Medical Matters: collaborative communication

By Andrea Garland, Acting Director, Communications

Read time: 2 minutes

CPSA’s role in the healthcare system makes clear and timely communication with physicians and physician assistants essential to the safe, quality care Albertans need. In addition to providing support and guidance to core business areas across our organization, you’ll often see the work of CPSA’s Communications team when reading emails and The Messenger, exploring some of CPSA’s stories through our annual report or following us on social media.

While we aim to provide clear, helpful and educational information, communication is meant to be collaborative and we value hearing from and engaging with our regulated members. Receiving feedback and fostering dialogue—through comments, survey participation, email exchanges, phone calls and more—helps inform the work we do and how we communicate.

As we continue to engage with and support our regulated members, we’re also focused on communicating with the Albertans we are mandated to protect. Engaging with patients provides them with the opportunity to actively participate in conversations about their care experiences. It also helps inform CPSA’s programs, policies, decision making and ultimately, the physicians and physician assistants we regulate.

Through seeking patient perspectives, we aim to provide our regulated members with patient-centric resources and insights informed by our research. We also hope to gain a better understanding of the challenges and gaps that exist in the current healthcare landscape and how we can support improvements within our scope of regulation.

In 2021, virtual care was top of mind for many as we continued to experience a rapid shift in care modalities during the pandemic. CPSA received many questions and comments about virtual care from regulated members and we saw valuable participation in our consultation on the Virtual Care (formerly Telemedicine) standard of practice. The robust feedback we received through Consultation 021, which also included CPSA’s Continuity of Care and Episodic Care standards, resulted in a re-consultation period to ensure we properly addressed the concerns and comments brought forward.

We also actively engaged with patients to understand their perspectives and experiences with virtual care. Through a survey and focus groups, the Communications team gained insights into how Albertans view and interact with virtual care, which we’re excited to share with you here.

The Communications team looks forward to creating more opportunities to connect with our regulated members and Albertans, and we welcome your feedback along the way as we continue to listen, learn and grow.

Andrea Garland (she/her) joined CPSA in 2019 as a Senior Communications Advisor and stepped into the Acting Director, Communications role in fall 2021. Her team is responsible for strategic engagement with regulated members, Albertans and partners, supporting CPSA’s core business areas, leading internal communications and media relations. Andrea transitioned to healthcare regulation from the sports and entertainment industry, previously providing communications management to Oilers Entertainment Group and Rogers Place.