Summer 2014 (Volume 24, Number 2)

Awards, Appointments, Accolades

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Changing one’s behaviour is never easy. In my personal life, what I do and what I say I do are sometimes different. Fortunately, my spouse and family are there to point out the error of my ways and help me change my behaviour for the better.

In my professional life, I do not have a guardian angel or a spouse constantly at my side to support me in a similar fashion. I can attend small group sessions and lectures at the CRA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), go to weekly rounds, agree with everything said, even actively participate in the Q&A sessions, and then continue to practice in the same old fashion.

I know what you are thinking: this does not apply to me. However, I can tell you from personal experience that it does. Until I did chart audits of my own practice, I told everyone that most of my biologic patients were vaccinated and that most of my gout patients had their diagnoses established via joint fluid aspiration. I was blissfully ignorant of what I was doing.

We all now accept that, as much as possible, clinical decisions need to be evidence-based. In the near future, proof of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) required for professional practice will not be just a record of event attendance but also some evidence that your practice is in compliance with accepted standards.

Dr. Nigil Haroon is the 2013 recipient of the Spondylitis Association Bruckel Award, administered by the Spondylitis Association of America (SAA), and named after the co-founder of the association, Jane Bruckel. The award was established in 2011 to identify young investigators who are likely to drive the field of spondyloarthritis forward. In 2013 SAA selected Dr. Nigil Haroon for this award recognizing his contributions to the care and understanding of patients with spondyloarthritis.

Our colleagues at the Royal College have crafted the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program and are well aware that traditional CPD programs often do not exert great influence on practice behaviour. This is why there is now a requirement by the Royal College that you devote at least eight hours (25 credits) to Section 3 activities (Self-assessment & Simulation) during your next MOC five-year cycle. No doubt that time commitment will increase in the coming years.

Presently, there are no Canadian Section 3 programs in rheumatology, which is why the CRA has elected to sponsor the Practice Reflection Award.

The CRA wants you to reflect on your practice and then show improvement in care or compliance with guidelines as a consequence of that reflection. The award will go to a CRA member who comes up with an innovative and practical method that can be shared nationally.

I refer you to the CRA website if you are interested in applying for this award. Details can be viewed here: www.rheum.ca/en/the_cra/Awards.

Christopher Penney, MD, FRCPC
Associate Clinical Professor,
University of Calgary
Rheumatologist,
Richmond Road Diagnostic & Treatment Center
Calgary, Alberta