Good Veterinary Practices:      Practising secundum artem, following the evolutions within the profession and in veterinary science. This results in a quality-service to the client, whereby all deeds and products provided are 100% traceable and controllable. This results in a maximal guarantee regarding public health, animal health (policy) and animal welfare. All legally required documentation is produced, the Code of Practice of the College of Veterinary Surgeons is adhered to as well as this Code of Good Veterinary Practices.

GVP- veterinary practice:      A practice in which veterinary science is practised according to the Code of Good Veterinary Practices, certified by a certification body (accredited by the government) and whose quality system is subject to a regular audit by that certification body.

GVP-practitioner:      Any veterinary surgeon in (a) GVP-accredited practice(s).

GVP-veterinarian:      Any veterinarian certified under this Code of Good Veterinary Practices.

Veterinary Practice:      The total of buildings, infrastructure, vets, employees and necessary documentation. Although the term veterinary practices in Good Veterinary Practices is defined as any veterinary act by a veterinarian.

Medicine depot:      The total stock of medicines kept by veterinary practices as well as the room or places where they are kept.

Extensions of the medicines depot:      The total of medicines kept in a place different from the depot-room. Subdepots are surgery stocks, car stocks and medicines kept in the bag used for visits.

Quality manual (working system):      A manual comprising all protocols, work instructions and registration forms, which are in place at the time, orderly classified.

Internal audit:      The assessment of the implementation and the efficiency of the worksystem, inclusive implementation of and controls on effectiveness of corrective action. This on a regular basis.

Protocol:      A document describing the necessary steps of the different activities aimed at a certain goal. I.e. the protocol describes what one does, e.g. the correct removal of waste material.

Work instruction/procedure:      Is an addition to a protocol. It gives a description of the most efficient methods in a logical order. A workinstruction describes how one does something.

Function:      A task, responsibility.

Organogram:      Schematic description of the functions and the hierarchic structure within the organisation.

Logbook:      A unique, numbered document, created by a vet, comprising at least all legally required data on veterinary medicines, administered or dispensed to be administered to animals.

Conformity:      Fulfilment of specified requirements

Contract review:      Systematic activities carried out by the GVP-veterinarian or GVP-veterinary practice before signing the contract to ensure that requirements for quality are adequately defined, free from ambiguity, documented and can be realised

Corrective action:      Action taken to eliminate the causes of an existing nonconformity, defect or other undesirable situation in order to prevent recurrence

Preventive action:      Action taken based on a review of corrective actions to prevent recurrence of previous problems

Customer:      Recipient of a product or service provided by the GVP-veterinarian or GVP-veterinary practice.

Management review:      formal evaluation by top management of the status and adequacy of the quality system in relation to quality policy and objectives

Process:      set of inter-related resources and activities, which transform inputs into outputs

Quality:      totality of characteristics of an entity that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs

Quality assurance:      all the planned and systematic activities implemented within the quality system and demonstrated as needed, to provide adequate confidence that an entity will fulfil requirements for quality

Quality management:      all activities that determine the quality policy, objectives and responsibilities, and implement them by means such as quality planning, quality control, quality assurance and quality improvement within the quality system

Quality manual:      document stating the quality policy and describing the quality system of an organisation

Quality plan:      document setting out the specific quality practices, resources and sequence of activities relevant to a particular product, project or contract

Quality policy:      overall intentions and direction of an organisation with regard to quality, as formally expressed by top management

Quality system:      organisational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management

Specification:      document stating requirements with which the product/service has to conform

Subcontractor:      organisation that provides a product or service to the GVP-veterinarian or GVP-veterinary practice. This includes veterinary students, locums, interns, labs, cleaners, etc

Total quality:      management approach of an organisation centred on quality, management based on the participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organisation and to society

Verification:      confirmation by examination and provision of objective evidence that specified requirements have been fulfilled