Medical Matters: updates from the AIR Department

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By Dr. Nicole Kain, Program Manager, REVU, and Dr. Cliff Lindeman, Program Manager, PPP and TPP Alberta.

Did you know that CPSA is the only medical regulator in Canada with a devoted, in-house Analytics, Innovation & Research (AIR) team? The regulatory research supported by AIR impacts medical regulation across Canada and internationally.

CPSA’s AIR department leads evidence-based medical regulation and helps improve patient outcomes through proactive and innovative approaches. AIR consists of three collaborative teams:

• Research & Evaluation Unit (REVU)
• Physician Prescribing Practices (PPP) program
• Tracked Prescription Program (TPP Alberta)

Supporting physicians and enhancing patient care with evidence and research

AIR team members from REVU, PPP and TPP Alberta work closely together on many initiatives, including developing and gathering research and knowledge translation of our important work.

CPSA’s Research & Evaluation Unit (REVU) conducts health and regulatory-focused research with external partners and supports all CPSA departments by addressing salient research questions and evaluating program effectiveness.

Last year, REVU was recognized by the International Society for the Advancement of Continuing Competence (ISACC) with the 2024 David Swankin Continuing Competence Award, which acknowledges CPSA’s research and successful implementation of physician competency-based programming, as well as the establishment of REVU.

The team is constantly enhancing strategic collaborations with provincial, national and international partners, including presenting at various academic conferences and public forums.

Check out some of REVU’s recent peer-reviewed publications here:

• Cross-sectional study of rapid tapering of opioid prescriptions following medical regulatory intervention in Alberta from 2013 to 2020 | BMJ Open
• Do Canadian Medical Licensing Exam Scores Correlate with Physicians’ Future Performance in Practice? A Cohort Study of Alberta Family Physicians | Journal of Medical Regulation
• Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physician complaint trends in Alberta, Canada – Homeira Hamayeli-Mehrabani, Nicole Kain, Iryna Hurava, Kushagr Kumar, Nancy Hernandez-Ceron, Nigel Ashworth, 2025

Improving physician prescribing practices with data and resources

Physician Prescribing Practices (PPP) engages physicians through collaboration and advice to support safe patient care through better prescribing practices. We share prescribing data in a number of ways (reports, letters, etc.) to encourage self-reflection and help physicians identify opportunities for improvement.

One example is CPSA’s MD Snapshot-Prescribing, which is available through the Analytics section of your secure, online Portal and includes long-term trending, customizable comparator groups, easy-to-access resources and more.

We have launched a prescriber engagement survey to help us improve our communication with prescribers and ensure that the information we provide is relevant and delivered in a clear way. Complete the survey here to help us identify your preferred MD Snapshot-Prescribing topics and format.

Studying the use of AI across health regulatory organizations

We are reviewing and summarizing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies’ use in health regulatory organizations and how AI-related advice is shared with healthcare providers. The insights from this study will support the development of additional Advice to the Profession resources on the use of AI tools and open the door for opportunities to integrate AI tools within CPSA where appropriate.

Visit the Analytics, Innovation & Research page on CPSA’s website to learn more about how our research and evidence-based guidance supports regulated members in Alberta.

Dr. Nicole Kain is a Registered Nurse with a master’s degree in public administration, focusing on health policy. Dr. Kain completed her PhD in public health from the University of Alberta. In 2015 Dr. Kain joined CPSA as the Program Manager of the Research & Evaluation Unit, within the Analytics, Innovation & Research Department. In her role at CPSA, she participates in qualitative and mixed-methods data collection and analysis processes to guide continuous process improvement, research initiatives and program evaluation, key evaluation questions and outcomes measurement strategies. In addition to her role at CPSA, Dr. Kain holds a Clinical Lecturer appointment within the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Cliff Lindeman is the Program Manager for Prescribing Analytics and the Tracked Prescription program within the Analytics, Innovation & Research Department at the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA), the medical regulator in the province of Alberta, Canada. In this role he develops resources for physicians to improve prescribing patterns and contributes to research initiatives within CPSA. Dr. Lindeman received a master’s degree in public health and a doctorate from the University of Alberta, in Edmonton, Alberta, focusing on epidemiology and big data. He previously held the position of the Alberta Network Manager for the Canadian Primary Care Research Network.