Information for Physicians

Facilitation is mandatory for a personal development activity, and is encouraged for the practice-driven and standard of practice activities. Facilitation helps with objectively interpreting the data, looking at it in context and identifying opportunities.

A facilitator can be a colleague, supervisor, trained coach or facilitator, or other individual who is qualified to assist you in framing your data in a constructive manner.

Dedicated modules for self-facilitated reflection are also acceptable. Resources and tools are available for self-reflection through the Physician Learning Program,  My Practice Improvement (MyPi) or MyL3Plan. Additionally, R2C2 is an evidence-based model for providing feedback and coaching through interactive conversation.

Certain competence programs which also meet the requirements of a PPIP activity do qualify for CPD credits:

• A Group Practice Review (GPR) meets the requirements of PPIP’s standards of practice quality improvement activity. General practitioners and family physicians who participate in GPR are eligible for 13.5 Mainpro+ credits through the College of Family Physicians of Canada, while specialists may be eligible for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
• The Medical Council of Canada’s MCC 360 meets the requirements of PPIP’s personal development activity. General practitioners and family physicians who participate in MCC 360 are eligible for Mainpro+ credits through the College of Family Physicians of Canada, while specialists may be eligible for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

To find out if any other work you’ve done as part of a PPIP activity qualifies for CPD credits, please reach out to your national college.

• Reviewing data about your practice.
• Facilitation, whether by a colleague, supervisor, trained coach or facilitator or other individual who is qualified to assist you in reviewing your data constructively. You can also use a dedicated self-reflection module.
  • Resources and tools for self-reflection are available through the Physician Learning Program,  My Practice Improvement (MyPi) or MyL3Plan.
  • R2C2 is an evidence-based model for providing feedback and coaching through interactive conversation.
• Developing and documenting an action plan to identify all the elements expected from a robust quality improvement activity.
• Implementing your plan and evaluating your success.

Our philosophy of physician performance is based on the Cambridge Model of Physician Performance[1], which recognizes that performance is influenced by competence, individual factors and system factors.

• The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada support and encourage the use of the CanMEDs framework, which recognizes that physicians must be more than just medical experts. Being a professional, a communicator, a collaborator, a leader, a health advocate and a scholar are all abilities required to be an effective physician.
• The Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) supports a physician’s continuous quality improvement, based around the CanMEDS roles (medical expert, communicator, collaborator, leader, health advocate, scholar and professional). Their system for practice improvement (pictured below) was developed with the understanding that each physician has a unique practice and therefore unique learning needs.

• The Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Quadruple Aim framework was designed to help healthcare organizations move towards collective goals. It encompasses enhancing patient experience, improving population health, increasing value and quality of care, and improving work/life balance of health care workers.

[1] Adapted from: Rethans, JJ, Norcini, JJ, Baron-Maldonado, M, Blackmore, D, Jolly, BC, LaDuca, T, Lew, S, Page, GG & Southgate, LH (2002). The relationship between competence and performance: implications for assessing practice performance. Medical Education (36) 901-909.

Part of good medical practice is a commitment to lifelong learning.

At CPSA, we are committed to empowering physicians in their journey of professional growth and personal development. We know many factors contribute to physician health and productivity, and paying attention to these factors is an important part of providing patients with quality care.

Our goal is to support physicians in accessing resources and knowledge to incorporate continuous quality improvement into their practice, thereby fostering a quality culture for Alberta physicians. Recognizing that personal factors and system stressors can influence performance, we also focus on a physician’s personal development.

We want PPIP to empower physicians to “shift the curve” and continually strive for small changes that can make a difference, both personally and professionally, in pursuit of providing the best care for Albertans.