Medical Credentialling, Professionalism and Ethics

Credentialling - Joint Efforts of the Academy and Colleges

The Academy supports the development of credentialling work, to recognise professional competence and to ensure patient safety. The Academy developed the credentialling system to enable only those medical and dental professionals who are properly trained and have the requisite knowledge and experience to perform high-risk procedures in appropriate settings, Academy Colleges were fully engaged in the process through extensive consultation. 

Since 2016, all Academy Colleges have set up own Credentialling Committee to identify and develop credentialled procedures for different specialties gradually. Credentialling is an on-going process that requires determination.

Credentialling for Endovascular Neurointerventional Procedures

• Guidelines on Credentialling for Endovascular Neurointerventional Procedures (January 2022)
• List of Specialists credentialled for Endovascular Neurointerventional Procedures (updated in November 2022)
• Application for Initial Credentialling for Endovascular Neurointerventional Procedures 
  Application is open and would be accepted throughout the year. They will be reviewed in batches, normally twice a year. Fellows who wish to apply for initial credentialling may complete and return an application form. Application(s) will be reviewed in batches, normally twice a year. The next review will commence in July 2023.
  

Enquiries: credential-application@hkam.org.hk

Professionalism and Ethics 

Professionalism and ethics have become key topics of modern medicine and dentistry. Medical professionalism is the belief system that formulates and upholds the values and standards of medical practice. Changing expectations from patients and doctors as well as the introduction of disruptive technologies such as genomics and genetics, robotic surgery and big data analytics prompt us to re-think how medical professionalism should be articulated and inculcated in the contemporary era. The establishment of the Professionalism and Ethics Committee by the Academy in March 2019 is a response to the challenges. 

The Committee is dedicated to:

• promote medical professionalism and ethical practice among Academy Fellows through education, training and advocacy;
• review and advise on the provision of specialty-specific training in medical ethics and professionalism by Academy Colleges;
• respond to requests by the Academy Council, the Education Committee and others as appropriate, and collaborates with relevant external organisations when necessary, on ethical issues related to the practice of specialty medicine and dentistry, public policy and other Academy matters; and
• identify, examine and bring forward issues of ethical importance deserving the attention of the Academy Council, its constituent Colleges or committees.

The Committee organises a series of seminars and workshops covering a wide range of topics to enhance professional standards with ethical values and practices. It is committed to formulating best practice guidelines. To facilitate this, 6 Task Forces have been formed under the Committee to specialise in the areas of:

• Advance Directives;
• Artificial Intelligence;
• Disclosure, Apology and Alternative Dispute Resolutions;
• Genetics and Genomics;
• Laws for Healthcare Practitioners; and
• Social Media.

Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) developed 

Note: The above BPGs are for guidance only and not intended to be prescriptive. They are developed from the perspectives of professionalism and ethics, on the basis of which medical and dental practitioners should exercise their clinical judgement, with regard to all clinical and other circumstances.

Other Guidelines and Resources

Guidelines on Procedural Sedation 

The set of Guidelines aims to promote safe and evidence-based practices in procedural sedation. View and download Guidelines on Procedural Sedation and Supplementary Note for the Guidelines on Procedural Sedation.