QUALITY PRACTICE
COMMITTEE INCREASES REVIEW OF POOR DRUG MANAGEMENT
To address the issue of ongoing non-compliance and its associated risks , a companion animal facility director who is not performing the expected weekly controlled drug audit shall be referred by the Registrar to the Accreditation Committee . The Accreditation Committee may decide to impose conditions and limitations on the Certificate of Accreditation , such as a shorter renewal term , and possibly unannounced inspections at the facility director ’ s expense .
To promote awareness and assist with compliance , the Chair of the Accreditation Committee is sending a letter to companion animal facility directors , along with the notification of renewal of the facility ’ s Certificate of Accreditation , as a reminder for facility directors to be proactive in this high-risk area . Included in the letter are references to College resources to assist them with managing controlled drugs in their facility .
Over the past five years , the College has seen an increase in the number of facilities with deficiencies at the time of inspection for the renewal of their Certificate of Accreditation . The majority of these deficiencies are related to the overall management of drugs , examples include improper labelling of secondary containers , incorrect storage and disposal of expired drugs . This trend is alarming and a concern to public safety .
The requirement for a weekly controlled drug audit for companion animal facilities is also frequently deficient . When this serious deficiency is noted , College staff provide the facility director with educational resources to assist them with meeting the standard . Unfortunately , the College has noted numerous instances where facilities continue to fall short on meeting this minimum standard .
The Minimum Standards are an important public protection tool to assure that veterinarians remain vigilant in complying with the standard and recognize the inherent risk to the public in not meeting the standards . There is an ever-increasing need for all veterinarians
to be aware of the public health risks of drugs stored in a facility – valium , ketamine , fentanyl , hydromorphone , and butorphanol to name a few . It is imperative that facility directors of all facility types , have stringent protocols in place that ensure the inventory of their controlled drugs is closely monitored and accounted for and they take their oversight responsibility seriously . The purpose of the Minimum Standards is to assist veterinarians in keeping on top of their professional privilege .
Resources :
Videos : Conducting a Controlled Drug Audit and Maintaining a Controlled Drug Log
Sample Controlled Drug Audit Tracking Sheet and Controlled Drug Log
Professional Practice Standard – Management and Disposal of Controlled Drugs and a Guide to the Standard
If you have questions , please contact Accreditation , Principal Ms . Aneeta Bharij at abharij @ cvo . org or ext . 2230 .
COLLEGE STAFF Registrar ’ s Office Jan Robinson , Registrar & CEO
Anita Lovrich , ( on leave ) Executive Partner , Policy
Sarah Kirby , Policy & Projects Specialist
Kim Huson , Executive Partner , Communications
Corporate Services
Beth Ready , Executive Partner , Corporate Services
Sarah Ellery , Records & Risk Officer
Ashley Coles , Business Intelligence Analyst
Louise Brown , Administrative Support , Corporate Services
Vacant , Ambassador , Corporate Services
Licensure
Shilo Tooze , Associate Registrar , Licensure
Lindsay Sproule , Principal , Licensure & Professional Corporations
Sarah Adams , Associate , Licensure & Professional Corporations
Rose Robinson , Principal , Investigations & Resolutions
Martin Fischer , Investigations & Inspections Specialist
Cindy Rose , Associate , Investigations & Resolutions
Gabriella Klosak , ( on leave ) Associate , Licensure & Investigations
Quality Practice
Dr . Kim Lambert , Associate Registrar , Quality Practice
Dr . Colette Larocque , Practice Advisor Dr . Susan Sabatini , Practice Advisor
Emily Ewles , Principal , Quality Assurance & Improvement
Aneeta Bharij , Principal , Accreditation
Cindy Tang , Associate , Quality Practice
Accreditation Inspectors Wilf Muller Adrian Darmon
Instilling public confidence in veterinary regulation cvo . org 5