The revised Documentation Standard of Practice and the revised Privacy and Record Retention Standard of Practice will come into effect on October 1, 2026.
On September 12, 2026, the Council of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta approved the revised Standards of Practice. This follows an extensive process to review, revise, and collect input from physiotherapists and other parties about the content of the standards.
We appreciate the time and effort of everyone who reviewed and commented on the draft Standards. Thank you.
Each physiotherapist is responsible for their professional practice and is accountable to meet the Standards of Practice.
Key changes to these Standards of Practice
Documentation:
- Addition of wording regarding documentation of disclosures of health information as part of a complete client record, including the mandatory information to be documented.
- Revision of wording pertaining to secure transmission and remote access of identifiable health information to better reflect HIA requirements.
Privacy and Record Retention:
- Revision of the definitions of "affiliate" and "individually identifying health information" to align with the definitions found in the Act.
- Clarification of when an individual is in the role of custodian and when they are in the role of affiliate.
- Addition of a performance expectation related to implementation of privacy management programs.
- Clarification re: collection notice requirements.
- Clarification regarding the requirement for written consent when using devices to collect health information that may not be visible to the client.
- Direct specification of the timeline to respond to client request for access to health information, and clarification regarding access to health information by individuals acting on the client’s behalf, as specified in the Act.
- Refined wording related to disclosures of health information.
As a regulated physiotherapist in Alberta, you know that following the rules of practice set out in legislation and the Standards of Practice is essential. The Standards apply to your practice and are the Standards against which your actions will be assessed should a concern or complaint be received by the College about your physiotherapy practice.
If you have questions about the Standards of Practice or how to apply them to your practice, contact the College’s Practice Advisor at professionalpractice@cpta.ab.ca.
