From the Practice Advisors
In British Columbia’s modern healthcare environment, evidence-informed practice has become a cornerstone of professional integrity, patient safety, and public trust. For practitioners across all regulated professions, grounding decisions in credible evidence is an essential expectation – one that supports ethical care and reinforces the confidence the public extends to all of the professions that the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC regulates, including audiologists, dietitians, hearing instrument practitioners, occupational therapists, opticians, optometrists, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists.
Evidence-informed practice goes beyond relying solely on research findings. It integrates and balances scientific evidence, clinical expertise, professional judgment, and the values and lived experiences of patients. Together, these elements ensure care that is safe, effective, personalized, and contextually relevant – strengthening both patient outcomes and trust in healthcare professionals. In today’s era of abundant health information – where misinformation and AI-generated content can complicate accuracy – this approach is essential for ensuring clarity and trust.
The double-edged sword of AI and the rising tide of misinformation
In September, CHCPBC published a resource for registrants addressing artificial intelligence (PDF) and frequently asked questions about its use. In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, healthcare practitioners are encountering new opportunities to enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, and improve patient outcomes. Yet, alongside these benefits comes a surge of health-related misinformation. Social media platforms and generative AI tools can spread unverified claims at unprecedented speed, distorting perceptions among both practitioners and patients. Against this backdrop, evidence-informed practice is more critical than ever to safeguard trust and uphold the integrity of healthcare.
What can I do? Strategies for regulated health professionals
The growing reliance on AI may lead some professionals to bypass critical thinking, assuming algorithmic outputs are infallible. Registrants share a collective responsibility to safeguard against technological overreach and uphold professional credibility. Here are a few simple strategies that can help professionals ensure that care remains anchored in truth rather than trends:
- Develop digital literacy to understand how AI tools work, their limitations, and potential biases.
- Engage in career-long learning, staying current with emerging research and regulatory guidelines.
- Communicate openly with patients about the sources and reasoning behind clinical decisions.
- Collaborate across disciplines, ensuring that AI-driven insights are validated against established evidence and collective expertise.
- Contact our practice support team, with a question about CHCPBC’s expectations for safe, ethical, and quality practice.
- Seek practices resources that are applicable to your respective profession on our website.
Resources
CHCPBC Practice Support (2025). Artificial intelligence resource: https://chcpbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AI-Resource-2025-09-09.pdf
Denniss, E., & Lindberg, R. (2025). Social media and the spread of misinformation: Infectious and a threat to public health. Health Promotion International 40(2), daaf023: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40159949/
Monteith, S., Glenn, T., Geddes, J.R., Whybrow, P., Achtyes, E., & Bauer, M. (2024). Artificial intelligence and increasing misinformation. British Journal of Psychiatry 224(2), 33 – 35: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37881016/
About the Practice Support service
CHCPBC has profession-specific Practice Advisors for each of the nine professions the College regulates. Questions that are sent by registrants will be answered by a Practice Advisor in the same profession as the registrant. Submissions are treated confidentially.
Our practice advisors provide guidance on how standards of practice, clinical policies, clinical practice guidelines and protocols, and related documents may be interpreted and can be implemented in practice. The goal is to assist registrants to find solutions to their practice issues given the complexity of health care delivery today.
Anyone – registrants or members of the public – with a question about CHCPBC’s expectations for safe, ethical and quality practice is welcome to contact our Practice Support team.
