Bermuda Dentists and Nurses to follow Best Practices

Some new rules must be adhered to by both dentists and nurses across Bermuda. These practices were collaboratively crafted and implemented by the Bermuda Dental Board and the Nursing Council in tandem with the Bermuda Health Council (BHeC). Documents containing Standards of Practice were published for professionals working in the two specialized fields.
The standards were “recently published and will provide guidance on what is expected for health professionals registered with these bodies, and detail the principles and values on which good clinical practice is based.” These words came from head of BHec, Chief Executive officer Dr Jennifer Attride-Stirling who was rolling out the revamped Standards of Practices in their quarterly news announcements.
Included in the documents for nurses are the principles and values on which good nursing practice is based; all registered nurses of the Bermuda Nursing Council are expected to diligently follow and practice them. Also in the documents, is a comparison with standards in Australia, Canada, Caribbean, the US and United Kingdom. Wide Consultation was also sought within the nursing profession to help with the development and creation of the new standards.
Some categories in the documents included relationships with patients, professionalism, scope of practice, clinical care quality and maintaining professional conduct in the community. The document warns that “serious or persistent failure to follow the guidance may have consequences for their registration.”
Professional standards were also disseminated by the Bermuda Dental Board. This document stipulates: “These Standards of Practice are intended to provide the basis for the Board to review questions concerning professional ethics as well as a guide for what is expected of all dentists registered to practice in Bermuda. The dentist’s primary professional obligation is to provide competent care. Competent care includes not only the clinical care delivered, but all aspects of the dentist’s relationships with patients, colleagues and the community.”
Also outlined were problems relevant to each profession in both Standards of Practice manuscripts. Information must be made available to the relevant authorities in the event of: child and senior abuse, communicable and non-communicable diseases, chronic diseases inter alia.