Acupuncture is a controlled act under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) – it is a procedure performed on tissue below the dermis. Controlled acts are procedures that pose a risk to patients if not performed by qualified practitioners. Members who are competent to perform acupuncture are permitted to do so under Ontario Regulation 107/96 of the RHPA.

Read the full Acupuncture Standard here.

CRITERIA:

1. The member shall convey appropriate information to the patient and obtain consent before the administration of any injectable substance (see Consent).
2. The member will be proficient in the procedures that follow in the case of anaphylaxis, or other clinical emergencies which can result from the administration of an injectable substance.
3. The member will ensure that the needles, syringes and substances to be injected are sterile.
4. The member will always follow the criteria outlined in the Infection Control standard.
5. The member will not discharge the patient from the clinic following administration of an injectable substance until the patient and/or the member are convinced that no adverse reactions or complications are likely to occur.
6. In all cases where any injectable substance is administered, the dosage, quantity, site, effectiveness and the presence or absence of adverse reactions, will be charted in detail (refer to Records Standard and Regulation ss. 17 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) of the Chiropody Act, 1991).
7. The disposal of sharps, including needles, syringes and vials should be in accordance with the criteria outlined in the Infection Control and Safety and the Practice Environment standards.
8. An emergency kit and oxygen supply will be maintained in good order in the suite. Instructions for their use will be in the office manual (refer to Guideline for Dealing with Office Medical Emergencies in the Podiatry and Chiropody Office Setting).

The College of Chiropodists of Ontario (COCOO) has created this standard on professional advertising to assist Registrants in understanding their legal and professional responsibilities regarding any advertising related to a Registrant’s practice. Read the full standard.

Registrants must perform an assessment for each patient and must establish a management plan based on the assessment. Read the full standard.

The overriding responsibility of a registrant is to act in the best interest of their patients. In fulfilling this professional and fiduciary obligation, a registrant must possess a sound understanding of their professional capabilities, their areas of competence, and their professional limitations. Read the full standard.

Infection control is considered an integral part of patient care. Concerns regarding the possible
spread of blood-borne diseases have prompted practitioners to reassess and update their infection control measures. The College of Chiropodists of Ontario has revised its infection control standards to meet the needs of the profession and to provide the public of Ontario with safe foot care.

Read the full Infection Control Standard of Practice here – 42 page PDF Document

Read the full Administration of Inhaled Substances and the Use of Sedation in
a Member’s Practice here – 30 page PDF Document

Registrants must make every effort to ensure a satisfactory post-operative result and reduce the risk of complications when performing nail and cutaneous soft tissue surgery and subcutaneous and osseous surgery. This practice standard establishes the requirements registrants must meet when performing surgery. Read the full standard.

Table of Contents

1. Informed Consent
2. Communications
3. Confidentiality
4. Professional Conduct and Accountability
   • Standard 1
   • Standard 2
5. Sexual Ethics

INFORMED CONSENT

STANDARD:

The member will provide the patient with the necessary information and obtain a valid informed consent prior to the start of any procedure and /or treatment in accordance with the Healthcare Consent Act, 1996.

COMMUNICATIONS

STANDARD:

The member shall take reasonable steps to ensure patient comprehension of assessment findings, diagnoses, treatment plan and prognoses.

CRITERIA:

1. The member will provide complete, accurate information concerning the patient’s assessment/diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, in terms the patient can be reasonably expected to understand.
2. The College recognizes that consent is implied when the patient attends for the purpose of assessment for treatment, and that the nature of any treatment plan must be disclosed to the patient following such assessment prior to the implementation of the treatment plan.
3. It is recommended that in a situation warranting biomechanical assessment, the nature of the procedure should be disclosed to the patient prior to commencement of physical examination beyond the foot.
4. In cases where the member is unable to communicate in a language which the patient can understand, every effort should be made to arrange for an interpreter at the next and subsequent visits.

CONFIDENTIALITY

STANDARD:

The member shall ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times.

CRITERIA:

1. Any personal confidences not relating to the management of the patient should not be discussed with others.
2. Case discussion, consultation, examination and treatment is confidential and should be conducted discreetly.
3. Those individuals, including students, not directly involved in the patient care must seek permission to be present during assessment or treatment.
4. When seeking advice or assistance from a colleague, only relevant information should be communicated.
5. The patient record is regarded as confidential and should be secured appropriately when not in use (see Records).
6. A member will not allow any person, except as authorized by law, to examine a patient health record, or give any information, copy or thing from the patient health record (see Records regulation).
7. The assessment and treatment area should provide a confidential atmosphere. The treatment room should be separated from the waiting and reception area by a closable door, suitable partitioning should be available in the area to provide privacy for removing clothing.
8. Telephone conversations regarding patients should be carried out in privacy.
9. Discussion of patient details should be limited to professional dealings ie. other health care providers.

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

STANDARD 1:

The member shall meet the ethical and legal requirements of professional practice.

CRITERIA:

STANDARD 2:

The member shall not seek special benefit or advantage from relations with a patient.

CRITERIA:

Reference: Professional Misconduct and proposed Advertising regulations under the RHPA.

SEXUAL ETHICS

STANDARD:

The member shall not commit sexual abuse of a patient.

CRITERIA:

1. * The member shall not have sexual intercourse or other forms of physical sexual relations with a patient.
2. * The member shall not carry out touching, of a sexual nature that includes, but is not limited to:
   • genital to genital, genital to anal, oral to genital, or oral to anal contact,
   • masturbation of the member by, or in the presence of, the patient,
   • masturbation of the patient by the member,
   • encouragement of the patient by the member to masturbate in the presence of the member,
   • oral to breast contact
3. * The member shall not exhibit behaviour, or utter remarks of a sexual nature to a patient. Behaviour and remarks include, but are not limited to:
   • disrobing or draping practices that reflect a lack of respect for the patient’s privacy.
   • deliberately watching a patient dress or undress.
   • sexual comments about a patient’s underclothing.
   • criticism of the patient’s sexual orientation.
   • discussion of the patient’s sexual performance.
   • conversations regarding the sexual preferences or fantasies of the member or patient.
   • kissing of a sexual nature
4. * The member has a legal obligation to abide by the mandatory reporting requirements outlined in the Regulated Health Professions Act.

* See Regulated Health Professions Act.

This Standard of Practice reflects what should be performed by Chiropodists and Podiatrists with respect to the manufacturing and dispensing of orthotic devices. [For purposes of this Standard of Practice “dispensing” includes inspecting the PCFO to ensure it meets the prescription, fitting the PCFO on the patient, and educating the patient on the proper use of the PCFO.] However, this treatment therapy is dependent on many variables including each patient’s medical history, footwear, activities, and work environment. As a result of the personalized treatment plan and this multi-factorial and complex process, deviations from this Standard of Practice may be called for in certain circumstances. In these situations, the patient chart should clearly document the revised treatment process and the justification. The College of Chiropodists of Ontario has developed its PCFO Standard to ensure that the public of Ontario has access to safe and effective foot care, including safe and effective PCFO.

The College defines an orthotic prescription (the “prescription”) to be the set of instructions intended for the orthotic laboratory that very specifically outlines the parameters of design, composition and fabrication of the orthotic intended for the treatment of an underlying medical condition or postural imbalance of the patient.

Read the full Prescription Custom Foot Orthoses Standard here.

Prescription footwear is an integral part of patient care for the management of lower extremity pathology and to alleviate pain and dysfunction caused by foot deformities.

The College of Chiropodists of Ontario has developed its Prescription Footwear Standard to meet the needs of the profession and to provide the public of Ontario with safe and effective foot care.

Read the full Prescription Footwear Standards here.

The member shall ensure that documentation is clear and accurate, satisfying optimum patient care and legal requirements.

Read the full Records Standards here.

CRITERIA:

1. The procedures for orthotic device manufacturing and the site (room or lab) of manufacturing must be in current compliance with the following legislation or guidelines:
   1. Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations for Industrial Establishments.
   2. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS regulation).
   3. Workers Compensation Act
   4. Ontario Fire Code.
   5. Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality ¹
   6. Canadian Electrical Code
   7. Regulation made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for Health Care and Residential Facilities.
   8. Canadian Standards Association ²
   9. American National Standard for Emergency Eyewash and Shower Protection ³
2. The member shall maintain the orthotic device manufacturing site/lab with a door, separate and away from the patient treatment room.
3. The member shall manufacture orthotic devices under the following controlled conditions:

A. General ventilation

• The orthotic device lab or site shall be adequately supplied with intake air to replace the air taken away by the exhaust.

B. Local ventilation

• All gluing, heating and drying of orthotic materials shall be carried out by the member within a fumehood⁴ which has a capture velocity of no less than 500 cubic ft/min. (Note: a “range” type hood is not acceptable.)
• The contaminated air should be drawn away from the member and not through the breathing zone of the member.
• If grinding is performed a fumehood which has a capture velocity of no less than 1200 cubic feet/min is recommended. The fumehood should have a filter to capture the dust.

C. Personal protective equipment

• The member shall wear a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved personal respirator when manufacturing orthotics, grinding or gluing orthotic materials and when mixing plaster. (Note:a respirator is optional if a fumehood is used as described above).
• The member shall wear NIOSH approved goggles when grinding orthotic materials.
• The member shall wear protective clothing that is not worn for the treatment of patients ie. lab coat or apron).
• Rubber gloves shall be worn by the member when handling adhesives, thinners and plaster.

D. Handling of orthotic materials

• The member must have a bonafide material safety data sheet (MSDS) and shall comply with all sections of same for all materials used in the manufacturing of orthotics.
• All orthotic device manufacturing sites shall have a facility for the member to wash hands and face after the fabrication of orthoses.
• The member shall review and revise handling instructions for all orthotic materials annually. MSDS are to be kept in the member’s WHIMIS binder (see SAFETY AND THE PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT)
• The member shall store a minimal amount of hazardous material on site.
• Flammable materials will be stored separate from other orthotic materials in an approved flammable storage cabinet.

E. Emergency equipment.

• All orthotic device manufacturing sites shall have the appropriate extinguishing media for all orthotic materials used and as required by the Ontario Fire Code (see MSDS for each material used in orthotic device lab.) (see SAFETY AND THE PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT).
• All orthotic device manufacturing sites shall have and eyewash station (see section 1, IX).
• All orthotic device manufacturing sites shall have a first aid kit.

¹ American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) 62 – 1989, 1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, Ga., 30329-2305 Phone 404-636-8400, FAX 404-321-5478

² Canadian Standards Association, Z316.5 Fumehoods and Exhaust Systems. (This document is available in draft form only at this time and is expected to be published by December 1993)

³ In the absence of a Canadian standard the ANSI Z358.1, 1981 is used.

⁴ A fume hood is defined by CSA as follows:

“An enclosed space ventilated by an induced flow through the face opening intended to capture and contain vapours, dusts, mists and fumes generated within the enclosure. These airborne contaminants are then exhausted from the cabinet and either filtered or exhausted to a remote location. The fumehood consists of a side, top and back enclosure, panels, a work surface and face opening.”

It shall be the responsibility of each member to ensure that the practice site be equipped and maintained, and that procedures are in place, to assure health and safety for both patients and staff.

CRITERIA:

1. The premises must be in current compliance with any provincial and municipal requirements including:
   1. The Occupational Health and Safety Act and any regulations applicable to the practice environment
   2. The Healing Arts Radiation Protection Act
2. Potentially hazardous equipment used for examination and treatment is to be serviced and inspected by a qualified technician for safety, efficacy and where applicable, calibrated for accuracy as specified by manufacturer, government guidelines, or every five years.

1. An equipment service record shall be kept that sets out the servicing for every potentially hazardous piece of equipment used to examine, treat or render any service to patients.
2. Deficiencies in equipment are to be brought up to standard. Hazards should be corrected immediately and other deficiencies corrected within 21 days.
3. Policy statements, procedure and equipment manuals, are to be kept on site in office manuals, and must be available at all times.
4. The member will be certified/recertified in C.P.R. at least every three years and support staff should be encouraged to seek certification.
5. Hazardous materials are to be stored in a specific, safe, controlled area.
6. Hazardous materials are to be labelled, and detailed current handling instructions must be reviewed, initialled annually and kept in the office manual. WHMIS guidelines are recommended additions.
7. Written “sharps” policy and procedures are to be kept in the office manual.
8. Pharmaceutical and clinical supplies will be inspected for expiry dates and disposed of appropriately where necessary.

Social media is a powerful tool for communicating and networking and has become pervasive in all aspects of our lives, both personal and professional. This is especially true during global crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic. In recognition of the serious consequences of misusing social media, Council upgraded the Social Media Standard it adopted in January 2023 to a College Standard.

Read the full Social Media Standards here.

This Standard of Practice applies to all registrants who provide supervision or mentorship (the “Supervisor”) to another registrant of the College who practices chiropody in Ontario pursuant to a certificate of registration in the Emergency Class in accordance with O. Reg. 830/93 (the “Supervisee”).

Read the full Supervision Standard here.

The Surgical Competencies Standard of Practice of the College of Chiropodists of Ontario (the “College”) contains practice parameters and standards that should be considered by all Ontario chiropodists and podiatrists in the care of their patients. All members of the College shall only perform surgical procedures within their knowledge, skill, and judgement. The surgical procedures, and complexity of procedures, that chiropodists and podiatrists choose to undertake should reflect the commensurate level of training and courses they have successfully completed and competency and experience they have acquired.

Read the full Surgical Competencies Standard here.