Policy Database

Doctors of BC Position: Doctors and other health care providers play a critical role when disasters strike. Doctors of BC recommends raising physician awareness of training and leadership opportunities, promoting practical resources to prepare physicians for emergencies, and by promoting CME training on emergency preparedness planning. To better incorporate the health system in emergency preparedness planning, a Health Emergency Framework should be developed.

Doctors of BC Position: Health IM/IT refers to IM/IT systems deployed in a health care setting that support clinical care and facilitate, manage or record clinical interactions. Doctors of BC believe that improving digital health should be guided by principles of supporting quality care, enhancing the role of patients in health care, incorporating user input into design, and simplifying health records through the one-patient-one-record principle.

Doctors of BC Position: Psychological challenges continue to be prevalent for physicians and other healthcare providers. To improve psychological safety, Doctors of BC believes physician advocacy should be supported, physicians should have access to leadership training activities, provider experience should be considered a key performance metric of the health system, and health authorities should develop fair dispute resolution systems for physicians to access.

Doctors of BC Position: Professional autonomy of physicians is integral to the provision of patient care and to a well-functioning health care system. Principles of professional autonomy for physicians include the ability of physicians to engage in self regulation, the ability to utilize professional judgement in clinical decision making, and the ability for physicians to advocate on issues of quality, patient safety, and health system planning/improvement. Doctors of BC encourages partners in health care delivery to recognize, support, and protect these fundamental principles.

A list of community resources for family caregivers in BC.

Doctors of BC Position: Physical safety is important in developing safe and happy workplaces with high performing teams. To better prevent violence against physicians, Doctors of BC recommends including physicians in workplace violence prevention planning and evaluation, and they should have access to violence prevention training/education.

Doctors of BC Position: DTC GT refers to testing sold directly to consumers via the Internet, television, or other marketing avenues without the involvement of health professionals. Doctors of BC believes that direct-to-consumer genetic testing needs be guided by patient safety and quality of care, and this can be supported by appropriate regulation, quality standards, and education for both healthcare providers and patients.

Doctors of BC Position: Doctors of BC believes strongly that, to effect lasting system level change, it must be undertaken collaboratively, incrementally, through application of a continuous quality improvement approach, and supported through positive incentives. This paper, provides an overview of Doctors of BC’s response to the Ministry of Health; the response reflects extensive physician input on the Policy Papers.

Doctors of BC Position: To create effective partnerships with physicians, Doctors of BC encourages health organizations to provide physicians with meaningful opportunities for physicians to participate in health service and system planning, they should support physicians’ ability to advocate about quality concerns, and their medical leadership should be valued and adequately resourced.