Professional Practice Standard
Published: July 2014
Introduction
Diagnostic laboratory tests can be a critical component of the diagnostic and/or treatment process in veterinary medicine. Veterinarians provide diagnostic laboratory testing with in-house diagnostic laboratory equipment or by sending tests to an external laboratory.
Practice Expectations
A veterinarian meets the Professional Practice Standard: Diagnostic Laboratory Testing when they:
- Establish a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) before ordering or conducting tests.
- Require the test results as part of a preventative health maintenance program or to formulate a diagnosis and/or treatment plan.
- Interpret the results and ensure the results are communicated to clients.
- Implement and regularly documents a quality control process for each piece of in-house laboratory equipment.
- Establish, for all testing done by external laboratories, relationships with diagnostic laboratories that are accredited by a recognized organization that inspects and accredits diagnostic laboratories.
Legislative Authority
R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1093: General s. 17(1)7.1; 22(1)7, 22(2)7, 22(4)6 (Veterinarians Act)
Resources
The following can be found at the College’s website at cvo.org:
Professional Practice Standard: Establishing, Maintaining, and Discontinuing a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR)
Guide to the Professional Practice Standard: Establishing, Maintaining, and Discontinuing a Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR)
Professional Practice Standard: Medical Records
Guide to the Professional Practice Standard: Medical Records
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.