Professional Conduct reports – April 2023

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Dr. Nidal Darwish-Uhtoman sanctioned by CPSA Hearing Tribunal

Dr. Nidal Darwish-Uhtoman, a family physician from Calgary, admitted to charges of unprofessional conduct and was sanctioned by a CPSA Hearing Tribunal.

Background

It was alleged that while monitoring a patient for chronic renal disease, Dr. Darwish-Uhtoman failed to monitor and record his patient’s blood pressure, ordered tests without documenting the reason for them in the patient’s record, did not follow up on findings with the patient, did not conduct an adequate physical examination and failed to follow the recommendations of a specialist in providing care to his patient. Dr. Darwish-Uhtoman also changed his patient’s records without clearly noting the changes as late entries.

Dr. Darwish-Uhtoman admitted to the allegations. The Hearing Tribunal accepted a joint submission on sanction and ordered the following:

• Darwish-Uhtoman will receive a reprimand.
• Darwish-Uhtoman must participate in CPSA’s Individual Practice Review program, and complete a course on ethics and boundaries from the Center for Personalized Education for Professionals and the University of Calgary’s course on record keeping, all at his own expense.
• Darwish-Uhtoman is responsible for 75% of the investigation and hearing costs.

The written decision can be reviewed in full on CPSA’s website.

Learnings

Under CPSA’s Patient Record Content standard of practice, regulated members are responsible for ensuring patient encounters are fully and accurately documented, with any amendments tracked and dated. For anyone looking for support in this area, the University of Calgary’s course on medical record keeping is eligible for CPD credits and the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) has several resources available on medical records.

CPSA’s Individual Practice Review (IPR) is a customized and collaborative process through which we work with physicians to strengthen their practice, using targeted, educational support. Participation in IPR is by referral, however, CPSA’s Continuing Competence team has a number of resources available for physicians who wish to grow their skills and knowledge. Learn more about Continuing Competence on our website.