International Briefs Open Access

In November 2021, the Australian Health Practice Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the Medical Board of Australia, commissioned an external review of patient safety issues in the cosmetic surgery industry, including how to strengthen regulation of practitioners in the industry.

On September 1, 2022, they released the findings of this review in the report “Independent Review of the Regulation of Medical Practitioners who Perform Cosmetic Surgery.” Key findings include:

• Ahpra and the Medical Board have accepted all 16 recommendations made in the report.

• Unsafe practice, misleading advertising, and substandard marketing across the cosmetic industry were highlighted in the review.

• Ahpra has set up a targeted Cosmetic Surgery Enforcement Unit—with an immediate injection of $4.5 million for extra resources—to accelerate action and step-up enforcement.

• Ahpra will enforce the ban on testimonials in cosmetic surgery advertising as they may mislead, deceive, and/or trivialize the risks.

• Ahpra and the Medical Board welcomed any action from Health Ministers to protect the title of surgeon.

Source: Ahpra News Release, September 1, 2022

The Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada (FMRAC) recently approved a Summary Statement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Practice of Medicine. The statement indicates that FMRAC believes that, while the medical profession has an enduring responsibility to ensure these approaches are evidence-based, the MRAs also remain committed to their statutory obligation to ensure safe and competent care by physicians, in the best interests of the public. This includes or will include the use of AI. FMRAC will continue to stay abreast of current and emerging issues of potential relevance to medical regulatory authorities.

Source: FMRAC, Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of Medicine, June 2022

Intealth has announced plans for the initial implementation of its global medical school accreditation initiative, the Recognized Accreditation Policy. Beginning in 2024, Intealth will report when a medical school has satisfied the requirements of the Policy, achieving “recognized accreditation” status.

“In 2024, we will begin to realize the benefits of more than a decade of intense activity and accomplishment,” said William W. Pinsky, MD, CEO of Intealth and President of ECFMG. “The Recognized Accreditation Policy supports our steadfast commitments — to assure the US public that IMGs, who provide supervised patient care while training, are ready to do so, and to ensure that directors of US training programs have a properly qualified IMG applicant pool from which to choose their trainees.”

Since its announcement in 2010, the initiative has catalyzed global accreditation efforts. A significant number of accrediting agencies around the world have achieved recognition, enabling the medical schools they accredit to achieve recognized accreditation status. Additional accrediting agencies are in the process of seeking recognition.

Further details on the Recognized Accreditation Policy are available on the ECFMG website at www.ecfmg.org/accreditation.

Source: ECFMG Press Release, October 12, 2022

A recording of IAMRA’s webinar titled “Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility and Anti-Racism” is now available on the IAMRA website.

Mrs. Joan Simeon, Chair-Elect of IAMRA and Manukura/Chief Executive of the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) and Kiri Rikihana, Manukura Tuarua/Deputy Chief Executive of MCNZ, spoke about the Cultural Safety work that has been done in Aotearoa/New Zealand as it relates to practice standards, educational accreditation requirements, and their work with the Maori doctors’ group.

Dr. Heidi Oetter, Chair of IAMRA and Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, spoke about her organization’s commitment to Cultural Safety and Humility and reconciliation on everything from governance and board/committee education requirements through their review of the complaints processes to make them more accessible and safer for Indigenous people.

Source: 2022 IAMRA Webinars, September 13, 2022

The Medical Council of Ireland has released its Medical Workforce Intelligence Report for 2021. The report provides a detailed analysis of the Medical Council’s registration data, focusing on demographics of those retaining and withdrawing from the medical register in Ireland. Much of the report highlights deficits in the system and the resulting risks attached to patient safety and care. This report is a central document in informing workforce planning and improved patient safety in Ireland.

The report contains significant findings, which need to be addressed collaboratively amongst policymakers, educators, planners, and employers.

The Medical Council highlights five recommendations for action:

• Commencing coordination and collaboration across all key stakeholders by setting up a Planning and Advisory Group to explore and plan workforce strategy

• Undertake a national consultation with individuals, patient groups and medical stakeholders to identify key priorities, issues, and challenges

• Identify priority workforce issues and contributing factors, determined by research and consultation

• Exploring the impact and feasibility or proposed approaches to ensure a fit-for-purpose approach

• The proposed strategy should not be developed in isolation, and health reforms and policies that are underway, including Sláintecare, Regional Health Areas, Healthy Ireland programs and initiatives, national clinical programs, and other developments should be considered.

Source: Medical Council of Ireland Press Release, September 1, 2022

The General Medical Council (GMC) has published its annual report on whistleblowing disclosures, alongside 7 other healthcare regulators. The report shows that 62 concerns were raised by whistleblowers to the GMC, in the 12 months between April 2021 and March 2022, an increase over the previous year when 43 concerns were raised.

Anna Rowland, the GMC’s Assistant Director for Policy and Business Transformation, said: “We take issues raised seriously and want to contribute to an open culture that supports people to speak up. This report provides valuable data on patterns and trends in the concerns that are raised with us. This year, we’ve seen a rise in the number of concerns raised, alongside a drop in those made anonymously. This may indicate that people feel more able to speak up. However, as with any changes in the data, we’ll continue to monitor this closely and investigate if this becomes a trend. We’re continuing to encourage people to feel confident in speaking up, and for those concerned about patient safety, we have a confidential helpline. We also offer training and guidance for doctors on raising and acting on concerns.”

The report is available at https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/whistleblowing-report_2022.pdf

Source: GMC News Release, September 28, 2022