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24 Sep 2020
The Dental Board of Australia (the Board) has published new resources for dental practitioners before it retires the Guidelines on dental records in October.
The Board is retiring the guidelines on 1 October 2020 as the Code of conduct contains adequate guidance to dental practitioners about health-record management.
The Code of conduct is a crucial part of the Board’s regulatory framework for setting minimum standards and regulatory guidance1 for the profession to protect the public and support the objectives of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme.
As one of the Board’s regulatory tools, the Code of conduct will therefore be positioned as the main point of guidance for dental practitioners.
The Board has developed a fact sheet and a self-reflective tool to help practitioners comply with their obligations under the Code of conduct. The fact sheet highlights sections of the code relevant to maintaining good patient records. The self-reflective tool can be downloaded and used by practitioners to regularly reflect on their record-keeping practices.
The development of these resources furthers the Board’s approach to supporting professional learning and practice, and aligns with the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme Strategy for 2020-2025. The fact sheet and tool were both developed with input from practitioners and professional associations.
The Board regularly reviews its registration standards, codes, guidelines and policies to ensure continued relevance in a dynamic regulatory environment. It reviewed the Guidelines on dental records in 2019.
A public consultation paper on the proposed retirement of the guidelines and a draft fact sheet was released in November 2019. The public consultation concluded in January and submissions were published on the Board’s website, together with an overview of the public consultation process.
The Board’s decision to retire the Guidelines on dental records was recently outlined in communiques and in the Board’s July newsletter.
1 The Health Practitioner Regulation National Law, as in force in each state and territory, allows for National Boards to set standards, codes and guidelines for the regulated professions.