Last week, RANZCO released the first in a series of updated guidelines for international development in ophthalmology, titled Contributing to International Ophthalmology Development.
Today, RANZCO is releasing another updated guidelines document aimed for international development projects: Clinical Activity in Developing Countries According to Good Development Practice.
The Clinical Activity guidelines document is in line with a range of domestic and international policies and standards, including those of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade Aid Programme, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations.
A checklist is provided (pages 3-4) with detailed explanations about minimum requirements for a range of clinical activities. Some of these include: documenting appropriate practices and standards in clinical activities, use of interpreters, debriefing, and adherence to local cultural protocols.
Further international development guidelines have been reviewed and updated, and will be released via the RANZCO website over the coming weeks. All development guidelines are available in the Policies section of the RANZCO website here.
Please see the updated Guidelines for Clinical Activity in Developing Countries here. For any information regarding RANZCO international development programs and international development guidelines, please contact gvanheerden@ranzcodev.dev.nucleoserver.com.
RANZCO Policy and Programs team, 9 September 2016