April 21, 2023
Alberta physicians have access to a new practice improvement tool
The Cumming School of Medicine鈥檚 (CSM) Office of Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development (CME&PD) in collaboration with the Physician Learning Program (PLP) have launched a dynamic new online practice improvement tool for physicians.
The idea for the My Practice Improvement (MyPI) tool evolved in response to the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) requirements for Alberta physicians to incorporate three Physician Practice Improvement Program (PPIP) activities into their practice at least once over a five-year period.
Finding sources of data that can inform practice change and be used to identify areas for practice improvement and generate meaningful quality improvement opportunities can be challenging, so the MyPI tool was developed to assist with this process.
鈥淲e want to help make the transition to this new form of competency-based Continuing Professional Development easier for physicians. We have a responsibility to help maintain the sustainability of the healthcare system. To be part of a self-regulating profession that鈥檚 committed to quality improvement and closing that knowledge to action gap," says Dr. Kelly Burak, MD, assistant dean, Physician Learning Program, Office of CME&PD.
MyPI provides embedded e-coaching for physicians and teams, and a framework for how to best reflect on their practice and create actionable change plans, which incorporate reminders and goal setting. Physicians using the tool can complete independent Quality Improvement (QI) activities, group QI activities, or select from a list of QI activity templates.
鈥淲e actually do quality improvement every single day with every patient. What we鈥檙e now looking at is transferring that to our general practice and making that practice flow better, making things more efficient, and also allowing us to sleep well at night when we are not in our practice because as we know that there are systems in place that protect us and our patients,鈥 says Dr. Tina Nicholson, MD, medical director, CME&PD and PLP.
MyPI is designed to encourage physicians to continually strive for small changes in their practice and empower physicians to use objective data, peer and patient feedback, and self-reflection to identify areas for improvement. In addition to these benefits, MyPI facilitates Direct Credit Entry of up to 45 CME credits to the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and reimbursement from the Alberta Medical Association鈥檚 CME Benefit Program.
The MyPI tool is available for all physicians across Alberta starting April 17, 2023.
Access the online tool at h or for more information contact ecme@ucalgary.ca
Learn more about the CPSA PPIP
The Office of Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development provides and coordinates integrated academic educational and assessment activities and resources that promote lifelong learning for healthcare professionals for excellence in clinical practice focused on improving health outcomes.
The Physician Learning Program creates actionable clinical information and engages with physicians, teams, patients, and partners to co-create sustainable solutions to advance practice.
The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta regulates the practice of medicine in Alberta. PPIP was launched by CPSA on January 1, 2021, to fulfill its legislated mandate of ensuring competence within the profession and all of CPSA鈥檚 regulated members must participate.