You will remember that, from a legal perspective, SoC or ‘Standard of Care‘ is defined as “providing health care in accordance with the standards of practice among members of the same health care profession with similar training and experience situated in the same or similar communities at the time the health care is rendered.” In other words, SoC does not come from what is taught in professional training, from public health policy, or even from a clinical guidelines document like the one we have just published; although they can inform and help define an SoC. Rather, Standard of Care comes from what a community of clinicians do in the actual provision of care.
There are 2 major parts to our initiative to establish a ‘Standard of Care’ (SoC). The first was to publish a set of Clinical Guidelines for ‘The Prescription of Carbohydrate Restriction as a Therapeutic Intervention’. The general intervention document in this effort was officially published on May 3, 2019 and work is now underway set of condition specific, addenda to this document. The document will also identifies any points of contention where differing opinions exist or where further research is called for. Dr. Adele Hite has been doing a herculean job of coordinating this effort and you can read more about that here,
Our second, and now main, task involves the creation of a community of clinicians who practice this approach. It is this community and its shared training, experiences, and concerns that will, in time, establish the standard of care. Establishing a professional community with expectations for a standard of care is critical to expanding the use of this approach by other clinicians. This professional environment and collaboration forum is now in place and the time it is now incumbent on any medical professional or nutritionist who has a desire to see this SoC established to now engage in this community and participate in the discussions which will generate the consensus over time. To participate in the professional community and to learn about all the cool features of the membership check it out here. Or, if you are already a member at some level on our site you can easily upgrade.
Some of you may be aware of the fact that we have partnered with the Nutrition Network which is a spin-off from the Noakes Foundation, to provide a CME-approved, online training course for all Allied Health Professionals. You may also know of the database we are building of medical professionals who are open to the Low Carb Conversation. So now, if you are an active member of our professional community, and you complete the online course, you can be certified and the badge displayed on your profile in the provider database.
As Dr. Gary Fettke says: “When it starts to affect the welfare of my patients, enough is enough!” We have put a stake in the ground and say: “Enough is enough, the time for change is here!” If not us, then WHO and if not now, then WHEN??
[Doug Reynolds: Founder – LowCarbUSA®]
