Annual Report 2013 | Page 18

We have made it easier for you to tell us how to make our policies better. And then, we set about finding out what you think. Different perspectives help make what might be a good policy even better. Different perspectives can also tell us when we are on the wrong track with a particular policy. For example, we put forward an idea about moving toward defined scope certificates of registration. We then asked your opinion. You identified shortcomings with the plan, in fact a number of them. After reviewing all the feedback, we agreed with your analysis. The result? We shelved our plan to develop a defined scope certificate of registration, and looked for other ways to ensure physicians stay within their scope of practice. Hearing from different points of view results in a better policy. Public Physicians Organizations The rate of responses has nearly tripled. Because personal experiences and insights were shared with us, we were able to grasp the unintended consequences of our proposed change. And that is why consultation with the public, the profession and the government is such a crucial part of our process. Sharing Information through Social Media We have always made every effort to share information and garner feedback from our different stakeholders. The advent of social media, however, has widened the channels of communication, making it much easier to keep you in the information loop and elicit your opinions. In 2013, our social media strategy was fully operationalized. Three social media channels – Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn – were launched early in the first quarter and our YouTube channel was launched during the third quarter of the year. We also established “Share this” and “Follow us” icons on every page of content, and set up various social media monitoring tools to monitor conversations happening about us in the online space and to respond where appropriate. Live-tweeting during the public portion of Council meetings has become the new normal, allowing us to broadcast vote results and other business as it happens. Members of the public and the profession also are encouraged to use Facebook and Twitter to ask questions about various aspects of the CPSO, including how to file a complaint, become a peer assessor or find information on policies. We also use social tools (namely, Facebook and Twitter) to promote policy consultations to help us reach a different and broader audience. 16 COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO