When Dr. Bruce Nichols, an eye surgeon practising in London, was presented with two options to fulfill his CPSO quality requirements – either participating in a Quality Improvement program or undergoing a Quality Assurance (QA) assessment – the choice was clear.
“The [QI] process just made sense to me. This self-guided process of evaluating your practice and identifying those areas where you wanted to learn more was akin to how I approached my medical education throughout my entire career,” he said.
Dr. Nichols said the program’s format resonated with him: a problem-based approach with clearly identified objectives and an opportunity to review, at his own pace, issues that might not have been front of mind in a busy day-to-day practice, such as medical record keeping, data collection, and practice management.
“For me, and I don’t think I am different from most doctors, these aspects of a practice serve their purpose and function but operate largely in the background. But the [QI] process prompts you to look at them critically and say, ‘Well, you know, I could make some important changes here just by doing these one or two things.’”
Dr. Nichols retired from his academic practice at Western University in 2020 but continues in a clinical administrative role at a private laser clinic. When he turned 70 in 2024, he would normally have been due for a peer assessment through the QA program. A year earlier, however, CPSO had expanded its QI program to include physicians aged 70 to 74 (referred to as the “QI Enhanced” program) and Dr. Nichols opted for that route instead. In 2024, the QI Enhanced program was expanded as an option for physicians aged 70 to 79.
In Dr. Nichols’ case, he chose the QI Enhanced Individuals option to develop a practice improvement plan that helped with a clinical research project he was involved in and a plan that ensured patients referred to him after he left academic practice were being followed by the specialists most appropriate for their eye disease/condition.
“It was truly such a worthwhile exercise ... I just wished it had been around years ago,” he said.
