Policy Statement
Published: March 2006
Revised: June 2011, November 2015
Purpose
This policy statement describes the circumstances under which members are permitted to conduct screening programs for the assessment of congenital deafness in companion animals in or from an accredited temporary facility in accordance with Regulation 1093.
Scope
This policy statement applies to members wishing to conduct congenital deafness screening programs either on their own or further to a request from an outside agency. Typically these programs are held when a number of animals are congregated for another purpose, such as a show.
Application for Approval
The requirements for the issuing or renewing of any certificate of accreditation are that the applicant:
- Submits an online application to the College in the form provided by the Registrar;
Provides the College with a written undertaking on a form provided by the Registrar that he or she will be responsible for the facility, including ensuring that the facility is operated in accordance with the Act, the regulations and the facility standards established by the Council under section 8 of the Veterinarians Act; 1
Provides the College with a written undertaking on a form provided by the Registrar that he or she and will ensure that only members will have responsibility for and control over all of the clinical and professional aspects of the provision of services through the facility, including maintaining the standards of practice of the profession; and
Holds a general licence or a restricted licence the conditions of which are consistent with the conditions of the certificate of accreditation
Medical Records Requirements
The medical records required shall be maintained in a systematic manner by the members organizing the program, must be legibly written or typewritten, must be retained for a period of at least five years after the date of the last entry in the record or until two years after the member ceases to practise veterinary medicine, whichever occurs first, and may be limited to:
- A reasonable identification of the examined animal;
The owner’s name, address and telephone numbers; and
The date and results of the evaluation.
Veterinarians providing services from a temporary facility offering congenital deafness screening programs for companion animals must ensure that they adhere to the legislative requirements for updating records if they update records in the facility and the requirements for maintaining electronic records if they maintain electronic medical records in the facility.
Communication with Primary-Care Veterinarian(s)
Veterinarians providing services from a temporary facility offering congenital deafness screening programs for companion animals are exempt from the usual requirements to establish a valid Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship prior to providing veterinary services. There is no requirement that any member providing such services:
- Notify the previous member treating the animal.
Obtain the relevant historical information.
Advise the client regarding any risks of uncoordinated care.
Additional Expectations
Members wishing to conduct a congenital deafness screening program must ensure that:
An application has been made to and approved by the College at least 14 days prior to the scheduled date of the program.
A diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Neurology (ACVIM-N) conducts all of the evaluations.
The diplomate of the ACVIM-N is licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Ontario (a short-term licence will be required for visiting specialists). It is the responsibility of the member applying to the CVO for the screening clinic to ensure the licence has been applied for and granted in advance of the clinic’s scheduled date.
No sedation or anaesthetic agents are administered to the animal being evaluated to facilitate the examination, and no other drugs are prescribed, administered or dispensed to or for the animal.
The custodian of each evaluated animal is provided with an examination form signed by the specialist who performed the evaluation, which also includes a statement that the custodian/owner should advise his/her regular veterinarian of the outcome of the assessment.
All professional fees collected as part of the program must be paid directly to the veterinarian conducting the program. Professional fees are not to be paid to an outside agency, such as the one that requested the screening program. None of this precludes the donation of any or all of the proceeds collected to a third party.
Legislative Authority
Veterinarians Act, R.S.O. 1990, s. 15
R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1093: General s. 12(3), 14(4.1), 17(1)(29), 17(1)(40), 17(1)(41),
17(5), 18, 22(4.1), 22(5), 22(5.1), 22(6) (Veterinarians Act)
College publications contain practice parameters and standards which should be considered by all Ontario veterinarians in the care of their patients and in the practice of the profession. College publications are developed in consultation with the profession and describe current professional expectations. It is important to note that these College publications may be used by the College or other bodies in determining whether appropriate standards of practice and professional responsibilities have been maintained. The College encourages you to refer to the website (www.cvo.org) to ensure you are referring to the most recent version of any document.