This consultation ended May 6, 2015
CDSBC Invites Feedback on Draft Principles of Patient-Centred Care and the Business of Dentistry
The CDSBC Board has approved the draft document,
Principles of Patient-Centred Care and the Business of Dentistry for public consultation. The consultation phase runs
from March 19 to May 6, 2015.
Background
The issue of patient-centred care is a priority in CDSBC’s Strategic Plan. Currently there is no College document that explicitly addresses the inherent ethical challenges of the dual role of a dentist as a treating health professional and as a business person.
The document was authored by a task force of the Ethics Committee. The task force’s initial focus was on issues related to corporatization. However, they broadened their focus to reflect the fact that problematic attitudes and practices can arise in any practice arrangement, not only in the stereotypical “corporate” context.
The task force has drafted a set of seven principles that reinforce patient-centred care in British Columbia. Some of the considerations that informed the task force’s process in arriving at these principles are as follows:
- They articulate the conduct expected of registrants by the regulator in the public interest.
- They are broad enough to apply to all practice arrangements.
- They are consistent with the College’s mandate and existing authority and are intended to supplement, not subsume, the Health Professions Act and the Code of Ethics.
- They are aimed at legitimate public protection concerns and to that end, include the patient’s perspective.
- They reinforce owners’ and managers’ accountability for the conduct of their practices.
The principles will become a standard for the profession and will assist with enforcement when that standard is not being met.
Next Steps
When the consultation period ends, the College will collate the feedback for consideration by the Ethics Committee. The intent is to submit the final document to the CDSBC Board for approval in June 2015, after which it will become a standard for the profession.
