What is a medical directive?
A medical directive is a
written medical order that may be implemented for a number of patients when
specific conditions are met and under specific circumstances. It is implemented
by regulated health professionals, such as nurses, dietitians, nurse practitioners
and pharmacists.
A medical directive is
used only when it is in the patient's interest for a designated health
professional to implement the procedure without the physician’s direct
assessment at the time of implementation.
Thames Valley Family Health Team (TVFHT) medical directives
Within TVFHT, physicians and regulated health professionals have to sign our medical
directive implementation forms for the medical directive to be active.
We have developed templates for commonly used medical
directives (see link below). Effective July 1, 2011, all Thames Valley Family
Health Team employees who work under medical directives will move to these new,
standardized medical directives.
If
you are a member of the public and would like more information on medical
directives, please go to
http://mdguide.regulatedhealthprofessions.on.ca/orders/what/default.asp
If
you are a health professional, please go to your college’s website for more
information.