BMJ  2005;330:1385-1387 (11 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7504.1385

Education and debate

GMC and the future of revalidation

Self regulation must be made to work

¹ Medical Council of Canada, PO Box 8234, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1G 3H7 dale.dauphinee@mcc.ca

Self regulation is not magic: it requires substantive, defensible, and valid processes. The US and Canada show the importance of validation of all applications, every time they are used

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Several high profile cases of poor medical practice in the United Kingdom have brought self regulation into question. Pressure for change is great, but experience from other Western countries suggests that abandoning the existing systems is not the best way forward. The United States and Canada both have well established systems of self regulation that are being gradually adapted to include a requirement for regular recertification. Although the healthcare environment in the UK is somewhat different, North America presents important lessons on how to ensure doctors are competent.

Should we abandon self regulation?

Stacey, the distinguished British sociologist, has written extensively about self regulation over the past two decades. In 1997, she concluded that given the alternatives, it is, on balance, the best option.¹ The prominent American sociologist Friedson has come to similar conclusions, after having a different view several years previously.² He argues that ideological attacks on professionalism have distracted us from the fact . . . [Full text of this article]

Experience of revalidation

Progress in the US

Canada's story

Lessons for the UK

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Tamblyn, R., Abrahamowicz, M., Dauphinee, D., Wenghofer, E., Jacques, A., Klass, D., Smee, S., Blackmore, D., Winslade, N., Girard, N., Du Berger, R., Bartman, I., Buckeridge, D. L., Hanley, J. A. (2007). Physician Scores on a National Clinical Skills Examination as Predictors of Complaints to Medical Regulatory Authorities. JAMA 298: 993-1001 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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