After extensive research and consultation, the PPA is resuming using a streamlined selection process and virtual assessments.
What is the PPA?
The PPA is a key part of CDO’s Quality Assurance (QA) Program, designed to support dietitians to maintain professional competence. For public protection, Colleges are required to assess that their registrants maintain competence throughout their professional career. The PPA offers an opportunity for selected dietitians to reflect on their practice, receive peer feedback, and demonstrate their commitment to safe, ethical, and competent care.
What’s changed?
Based on your feedback, CDO incorporated significant changes to support dietitian growth and professional development. Here are some highlights:
- Fully virtual behaviour-based interview with a peer assessor – making participation more flexible and accessible
- Refined proportion-based stratification selection process – based on practice indicators that are focused on risk in practice
- Elimination of the multisource feedback survey – reducing burden to registrants
- Guided self-reflective and peer-supported chart review – encouraging meaningful learning and professional insight through structured and supportive peer discussions
What are practice indicators?
Practice indicators are metrics gathered to create an “indicator score” based on the following types of data collected from registrants:
- activities that may have a higher risk to clients1 such as performing a controlled act or delegation
- registrant or employment factors (e.g., more than 3 employers, or solo practice or self-employed)
- practice supports and protective factors (e.g., annual performance reviews, receiving training/support for performing controlled or delegated controlled acts)
Indicators have been gathered from regulatory research, including risk data from dietitians and other health regulators about factors highlighted in complaints or reports2.
While risk is a natural part of healthcare and dietetic practice, some risks (e.g., working in isolation without other peers) have been associated with regulatory complaints or reports. Having more indicators does not mean that your competence is compromised, that you are practising unsafely, or you will be subject to a complaint. It simply means that an indicator is present or absent in your practice and informs the selection process for the assessment. This means dietitians are randomly selected from the highest to the lowest number of indicators. Dietitians with more indicators present will be more likely to be selected for an assessment.
The PPA helps identify areas where additional professional support or development may be helpful. With this approach, the CDO ensures that the PPA process remains fair, evidence-informed, user-friendly, and focused on enhancing individual and public safety.
How does this affect dietitians who are selected?
RDs will be randomly selected and notified in late spring. Assessments run July-September. This year, 20 assessments are planned, with a plan to scale up participation over time.
For more information on the updated PPA process, visit our website or contact the CDO’s QA program for support at quality.assurance@collegeofdietitians.org.
Footnotes:
- Client is defined as the recipient of service regardless of setting (e.g., an individual, population, employee, vendor/business, employer, or agency etc.).
- College of Dietitians of Ontario (2024). Risk Research and Consulting Services in Quality Assurance: Peer and Practice Assessment (PPA) Redevelopment. Member Survey Results: Summary Report. Rigor Corporation.
