The Medical Council tonight launched the procedures it hopes will ensure doctors maintain competence and professional standards.
Every doctor in the country will receive a copy of the 24-page 'Performance in Practice - Maintenance of Professional Standards' document and Dr Colm Quigley, vice-president of the Medical Council, urged all to study it closely.
"The Medical Council has a duty to ensure the ongoing competence of doctors," he said. "Our booklet on performance in practice will go to every doctor in Ireland in the coming days.
"The initial pilot projects outlined in the document provide an opportunity for the medical profession to shape the format used for the maintenance of professional standards into the future.
"I would urge doctors to consider the document and to give their feedback.
"In this way they can shape their own futures and have input to the procedures which will culminate in them becoming statutory when the new Medical Practitioners Bill becomes law, most likely early next year."
Dr Quigley said some doctors and medical organisations had threatened not to co-operate with the pilot projects amid fears that freedom of information requests would be made to gain access to results and records.
But he insisted the Medical Council had received legal advice that these concerns are unfounded.
"There is a past precedent involving school inspections where the Ombudsman at the time held that FoI did not apply to pilot projects," he said.
"It is our advice that that same protection should apply to this very important pilot project.On this basis, I would urge all doctors to fully participate."
"Continuing education projects and involvement in professional practice review will hopefully reduce Fitness to Practise referrals and provide doctors with strong mechanisms to demonstrate their continuing competence to patients.
"This is about the medical profession rebuilding trust, demonstrating to patients that doctors have kept their competence up to date and that doctors can be trusted to be competent and safe."
Dr John Hillery, President of the Medical Council, said the scheme would put in place something the public thinks is, and should be, there already.
"Most doctors are practicing for the benefit of their patients and this scheme will allow them to demonstrate this," he said.
"When asked, members of the public know very little about the assessment of doctors after qualification, but believe that they are already assessed regularly even though they are not."
Dr Lynda Sisson, Director of Competence Assurance at the Medical Council, said 400 doctors will be invited next month to participate in pilots.
"This programme involves doctors asking their colleagues and their patients to fill out standard questionnaires about their practice," she said.
"The data is processed by a third party and a summary of findings is sent to the doctor." The 24-page document sets out the proposed systems that will support doctors in maintaining their professional skills and evaluating their educational needs.
Doctors will be required, insofar as it is possible, to align themselves with a post-graduate training body. Those that are eligible for specialist registration should submit an application for the specialist register.
All other doctors will be monitored by the Medical Council. Doctors will be expected to submit evidence of participation in educational activities as well as clinical audit and peer review activities. Details of these are outlined in the document.
PA