| The Alberta Expert Review Panel for Blood Borne Infections in Healthcare Workers is constituted under a Ministerial Order to provide guidance to any healthcare worker who is infected with Hepatitis B or C, or HIV, to ensure safe practice. Physicians are not required to have testing to determine if they have a blood borne pathogen but physicians who practice in high risk areas are encouraged to know their status (Canadian Medical Association, Blood-Borne Pathogens in the Health Care Workplace). Similarly, physicians should recognize that other pathogens can pose a risk to patients and are encouraged to attend to any testing and treatment that is available. An example would be Methacillin Resistant Staph. Aureus carriers. In addition, the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSA) requires that all physicians who are diagnosed with these illnesses must report that condition to the Registrar. Ongoing monitoring of physicians with such infections is the responsibility of the CPSA. The CPSA’s role is to ensure that physicians comply with the recommendations of the Expert Review Panel and that they are attending to their own medical needs. This monitoring will be guided by the following: - Physicians are expected to comply with the recommendations of the Expert Review Panel.
- Physicians will provide the CPSA with any information required to confirm that they are compliant with the recommendations of the Expert Review Panel. This can include:
- Medical reports to confirm status of infection from the treating physician.
- Confirmation from the workplace that there is compliance with recommendations.
- Physicians will notify the Expert Panel and the CPSA if there has been a change in the status of their infection.
- Specific guidelines for monitoring of HIV, HCV and HBV will be developed by the Expert Review Panel and the CPSA will use these guidelines in establishing a monitoring process.
- Monitoring will consist of confirmation of medical status, compliance with treatment recommendations of their treating physicians and compliance with any restrictions to scope of practice.
- Physicians will be monitored as long as they potentially pose a risk to patients. The CPSA will follow the recommendation of the Expert Review Panel in determining risk to patients.
- Physicians who contemplate a change in the scope of their practice may be required to undergo another review by the Expert Review Panel.
- Physicians who have a change in the status of their infection may be required to undergo another review by the Expert Review Panel.
Non-compliance: Physicians are expected to be compliant with the recommendations of the expert panel. The risk to patients must always be the first consideration and physicians who are non compliant to recommendations may pose a risk to patients. In this case, the risk to patients will be the primary consideration. Physicians who pose a risk through their non compliance may be referred to the Complaints Director, may be asked or required to withdraw from practice, and may have their actions reported to the Medical Officer of Health. |