平特五不中 CPD Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines
Preamble
The Office for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) (hereafter 鈥渢he Office鈥) of the 平特五不中聽University Faculty of Medicine is fully accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of聽Continuing Medical Education (CACME). It is thereby authorized to accredit/certify continuing聽professional development (CPD) programs in accordance with the standards of the College of聽Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of聽Canada (RCPSC). In its review of CPD programming, the Office also adheres to the National聽Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities and the Code of Ethics of the Conseil聽Qu茅b茅cois de d茅veloppement professionnel continu des m茅decins (CQDPCM).
The Office develops high-quality CPD activities designed to maintain the competence of聽physicians in caring for their patient populations and to promote a culture of lifelong learning.聽Furthermore, the Office participates in research and scholarly activity with the aim of聽contributing to best practices in CPD. In all of its activities, the Office holds itself to the highest聽ethical and legal standards.
The purpose of this document is to present a framework that describes the ethical and legal聽standards to which the Office complies. This document includes a description of the policies,聽procedures, and guidelines that the Office has formally adopted and which guide the聽accreditation/certification of CPD programming as well as the development of educational聽activities, namely:
- The policies, procedures, and guidelines established by the Office
- The relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines established by the Faculty of聽Medicine and/or 平特五不中 (e.g. 平特五不中 Faculty of Medicine聽Guidelines for Avoiding Conflicts of Interest in Relations Between聽Faculty Members and Industry), and
- The policies, procedures, and guidelines established by external institutions (e.g.聽National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities)
In order to ensure consistency and quality assurance, this framework is available on the CPD聽Office website. The information below is pertinent to the Office鈥檚聽stakeholders, including its faculty, staff, committees, collaborators, presenters, moderators,聽learners, CPD organizers, and all other parties or resource persons involved with the Office鈥檚聽mission.
Accreditation/Certification and Ethical Guidelines
The Office ensures that all accredited/certified activities provide relevant and evidence-based聽learning experiences for health care professionals. To this end, the Office adheres to the聽accreditation/certification criteria established by relevant provincial and national stakeholders聽as per the list below:
- College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC): MAINPRO+
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC): Maintenance of聽Certification (MOC)
- Le Conseil qu茅b茅cois de d茅veloppement professionnel continu des m茅decins (CQDPCM):聽2016 Code of Ethics for parties involved in Continuing Medical Education
- National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities
- Canadian Medical Association鈥檚 (CMA) Guidelines for Physicians in Interactions with聽Industry
The accreditation/certification approval for CPD activities is contingent upon activity聽organizers meeting or exceeding the criteria established by the above-mentioned regulatory聽bodies in addition to standards developed by the Office. All relevant criteria are described聽on the accreditation application forms available on the CPD Office website.
At any time, the Office may choose to consult with external entities (e.g. CFPC, RCPSC, or聽CQDPCM) for guidance on any matters related to accreditation/certification.
The Office reserves the right to refuse accreditation/certification for any CPD program which,聽upon review, has been deemed by CPD faculty/staff to be non-compliant with the Office鈥檚聽standards.
CPD Accreditation/Certification Procedures
Various policies, guidelines, and best practices to help ensure that an educational activity聽complies with accreditation/certification requirements are available on the CPD Office website聽at or can be supplied upon request.
The Office includes a pool of physicians who review educational activities requesting聽accreditation/certification. These individuals are trained to objectively evaluate applications in聽accordance with all relevant standards.
The Office reserves the right to audit any CPD activity in which it has participated as an聽accrediting/certifying body or as an organizer/co-organizer (including research projects).
After delivery of a CPD activity, organizers are required to submit a final report of the activity,聽whose content will be dictated by the Office via a Final Report Form.
Guidelines for CPD Resource Persons
As described in the Office鈥檚 Accreditation/Certification Application form, the Office provides聽resource persons (scientific or planning/organizing committee members, speakers,聽moderators) with criteria to ensure compliance with accreditation and certification standards聽including information regarding how to avoid potential bias. Relevant documentation can be聽found on the CPD Office website.
CPD Co-Development Model
The Office鈥檚 co-development of educational activities in collaboration with third parties must聽adhere to a series of guidelines to ensure scientific integrity, objectivity and balance and to聽conform to relevant legal and financial standards. In its role as physician organization for such聽programming, the Office oversees all aspects of program development, evaluation and聽implementation, in accordance with relevant standards.
Integrity of Programming
Educational activities are to be based on learner-centered instructional design principles and to聽be free from commercial bias. The Office ensures integrity at both the organizational (i.e.,聽program design) and individual levels (i.e. resource persons).
A. Relationship Between the CPD Office and External Entities
The Office鈥檚 relationships with external entities (profit and non-profit organizations) are guided聽by the following:
- CMA: 2007 Guidelines for Physicians in Interaction with Industry
- College of Family Physicians of Canada: MAINPRO+
- Le Conseil qu茅b茅cois de d茅veloppement professionnel continu des m茅decins聽(CQDPCM): 2016 Code of Ethics for parties involved in Continuing Medical Education
- National Standard for Support of Accredited CPD Activities
- 平特五不中 Faculty of Medicine Code of Conduct
- 平特五不中 Regulation on Conflict of Interest
B. Declaration of Conflict of Interest by Resource Persons
Resource persons of an educational activity include: scientific committee members,聽planning/organizing committee members, speakers, trainers, facilitators, reviewers,聽moderators, and authors.
All resource persons must complete a declaration of potential conflict of interest form. All聽potential conflicts of interest must be mitigated by the scientific planning committee. Guidelines聽regarding disclosure and mitigation of potential conflict of interest are provided on the CPD聽Office website. Relationships with both for profit and non-profit organizations must be聽disclosed. Resource persons are also provided with guidelines related to printed and verbal聽disclosure.
C. Scientific Validity
The content of CPD programming must meet the identified needs of the target audience and聽be free from bias. The content presented must be evidence-based, relevant, objective and聽balanced.
D. Quality Assurance
The Office鈥檚 quality assurance procedures are in place to ensure the consistent evaluation of聽educational activities seeking accreditation/certification and the activity鈥檚 integrity. These聽include, but are not limited to the following procedures:
- Applications for single-sponsor CPD activities are reviewed by two reviewers
- Any activity accredited/certified by the Office may be audited by CPD staff or聽Scientific Planning Committee members
Confidentiality
The Office complies with Quebec Law (An Act respecting Access to Documents held by Public聽Bodies and the Protection of the Personal Information, chap A 2.1. R.S.Q.).
Confidential information refers to any documentation belonging to or under the control of the聽平特五不中 CPD Office, whether such documentation is verbal, written, electronic or physical,聽including documentation relating to the operations of the Office, such as program and event聽content and financial data, and which is disclosed to the Office鈥檚 stakeholders, including staff,聽committees, collaborators, presenters, participants, CPD organizers and all parties involved with聽the Office鈥檚 educational events (鈥淪takeholders鈥).
The Office uses all reasonable efforts to protect confidential information and only discloses such聽information to stakeholders on a need-to-know basis. The CPD Office advises any stakeholder to聽whom confidential information is disclosed that use of such information is restricted to the聽activity for which it is being disclosed and that such information may not be used for any other聽purpose without the express prior written approval of the CPD Office.
The Office鈥檚 privacy policy regarding the disclosure of participant information to third parties is聽described on the CPD Office website and a confidentiality clause is included in all agreements聽with third parties.
Online Privacy:
平特五不中's Office for Continuing Professional Development is committed to maintaining our clients鈥櫬爌rivacy on the internet. Any information gathered on the cpd.mcgill.ca website will be used only for the聽purposes for which it was collected (e.g. payment of registration fees for medical conferences via this聽website). In the case that information is obtained without the direct knowledge of the user, such information聽will not be used to identify the user. 平特五不中's Office for Continuing Professional Development will聽never share the information collected with third parties except in cases where it is reasonable to assume聽implicit agreement or explicit consent has been given.
Confidentiality:
All stakeholders acknowledge and agree that any information whether written or oral in any form or medium聽which is identified as confidential and that is disclosed to the parties in connection with the activity shall be聽held in confidence and only be used in connection with the activity. The only participant details that can be聽shared with sponsors and third parties can include first name, last name, city and province if consent is given聽by the participant to do so. No other personal information of the participants shall be disclosed.
Copyright
The Office respects and adheres to the 平特五不中 policy on copyright. The policy can be聽found on the 平特五不中 website at .
平特五不中 Logo Use
The Office adheres to the 平特五不中 policy on the use of the University鈥檚 name, logo and聽other trademarks, which can be found on the CPD Office website.
Cancellations and Refunds
Terms regarding cancellations and refunds to course participants are described on the course聽registration page for each individual activity.
Complaints and Violations
Any breach of this document identified by or brought forward to the Office will be reviewed by聽the Associate Dean and/or Assistant Dean, in consultation with Office personnel as appropriate聽(Administrative Officer, Accreditation Reviewers, Advisory Committee Members) and/or other聽external bodies. If warranted, the Office will impose appropriate sanctions.