The College’s facility accreditation program assures the public that all veterinary facilities provide a professional and safe environment for patients, clients, and staff.

The College Council establishes the facility standards that all veterinary facilities must meet for accreditation. All accredited veterinary facilities are under the oversight of a licensed veterinarian who is designated the facility director for the purposes of accreditation. The facility director is responsible for ensuring that a veterinary facility is operated in accordance with the facility standards and meets these standards for the duration of the certificate of accreditation. Involving veterinary team members in facility accreditation helps ensure that everyone is aware of how the veterinary facility is meeting the College’s standards.

In the Minimum Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario, there is a requirement for a hospital to have a gas scavenging system contained in the anesthesia area which complies with the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). This standard is in the spirit of adhering to the main purpose of OHSA which is to protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job.

Waste anesthetic gases (WAG) are anesthetic vapours, that leak into the surrounding environment and can result in worker exposure. The sources of WAG are leaks from anesthetic equipment, improper installation of scavenging systems, leaks from patient’s masks and exhalation of gases by patients. Short term exposure to WAG can cause fatigue, drowsiness and headache. Anesthetic gases cannot be detected by odour until their concentrations are much higher than occupational exposure limits. Therefore, the proper maintenance of the gas scavenging system plays a valuable role in protecting you and your veterinary team members.

In an effort to assist facility directors in complying with this requirement, the Accreditation Committee of the College has clarified that at inspection, the facility director is expected to provide documentation to an accreditation inspector that the gas scavenging system has been inspected and verified by a qualified technician from an independent third-party company within the previous 24 months or within the timeframe recommended by the manufacturer. 

The Accreditation Inspectors will continue to also inspect:

1. hose connections for obstructions or kinks. 

2. tubing connected to the exterior of the building for vent coverage.

3. local exhaust or room ventilation to ensure that it is functional.

4. charcoal filters to determine if they are checked and/or replaced on a regular basis by veterinary facility staff.

It is a reasonable expectation for facility directors to ensure the safety of hospital staff, clients and patients based on the hazards that exist in the hospital.  Effective scavenging of waste anesthetic gas is a crucial method of decreasing exposure in the veterinary practice. 

If you have questions about facility accreditation and inspections, contact Aneeta Bharij, Principal Accreditation, abharij@cvo.org or ext.2230.

The College places a strong emphasis on supporting high quality medical records. Medical records are central to safe quality veterinary medicine and provide the basis for continuity of care.

The Minimum Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario (MSVFO) outlines the medical record requirements that need to be met for a Certificate of Accreditation. During an inspection, Accreditation Inspectors ensure that the medical records kept in a facility meet these requirements.

In the MSVFO, there is a requirement for veterinary facilities to keep an anesthetic log, either alone or in combination with a surgical log. There is also  a requirement to keep an anesthetic monitoring chart. In reviewing these requirements in the MSVFO, it was determined that most of the information that is documented in the anesthetic monitoring chart is duplicated in the anesthetic/surgical logs. To address efficiency in record keeping and reduce duplication of information an alternative method to meet the anesthetic/surgical log requirements was considered.

Now, veterinary facilities can maintain the anesthetic/surgical log by compiling patient anesthetic monitoring charts in chronological order. This can be paper copies of the anesthetic monitoring charts in a binder, scanned copies in an electronic file, or electronic copies in a file that can easily be accessed and printed. A copy of the anesthetic monitoring chart should also be kept in the patient’s individual medical record. By doing this, the veterinary facility will not need to also keep a separate anesthetic/surgical log.

This is effective as of August 1, 2020.

On September 28, 2017, the College Council removed the requirement for a facility to contain a Compendium of Pharmaceuticals published within the last three years. In its place the requirement is for the facility to contain a human pharmaceutical reference that is relevant to the Canadian context. Suitable resources would include the CPS or any of the following: