No. We will receive your practice questions through the online submission form and by email. You will receive a response to your inquiry by e-mail. If additional support is required or there is lack of clarity on a practice issue, Practice Consultants may follow up with a phone call and an email summarizing the discussion. The email is kept as a record of the communication for accurate documentation and transparency of the exchange.

Interpreting a practice standard as it applies to a specific practice question involves considering several variables that can influence patient outcomes. The Practice Support team may not be aware of all these variables related to your specific scenario, since the only information we have about your question is what you share with us. Therefore, we could provide you with an incorrect interpretation that could place your client at risk.

CNO is committed to protecting your privacy and confidentiality. We document all Practice Support inquiries and consultations and store them securely. Records of Practice Support consultations are not available to other departments at the CNO. But if your questions involve patient safety or risk of harm, for example from the incompetence or incapacity of a CNO member, the CNO might have to investigate. In this situation we will refer you to our Professional Conduct team, or alert them to the concern, and an investigator might contact you to continue the discussion. Practice Support can still provide you with guidance and resources in response to your questions about nursing practice.

In certain limited circumstances (for example, incidents that might involve child abuse or neglect), the law may require CNO to report information to other agencies.

If your question is best answered by another area of the College, we will forward your inquiry to the relevant team for response.