VIPPS™ Definitions

"Administer" means the direct application of a drug to the body of a patient or research subject by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or any other means.

"Adverse Drug Reaction" means an undesirable reaction to a drug, which may result in harm, injury, or death to the patient.

"Automated Pharmacy Systems" include, but are not limited to, mechanical systems, which perform operations or activities, other than compounding or administration, relative to the storage, packaging, dispensing, or distribution of medications, and maintains all related transaction information.

"Compounding" means the preparation, mixing, assembling, packaging, and labelling of a drug or device pursuant to, or in anticipation of, a prescription.

"Confidential Information" means information accessed, maintained by, or transmitted to the pharmacist in the patient's records or which is communicated to the patient as part of patient counselling, which is privileged and may be released only to the patient or, as the patient directs, to those practitioners, other authorized health care professionals, and other pharmacists where, in the pharmacist's professional judgment, such release is necessary to protect the patient's health and well being; and to such other persons or governmental agencies authorized or required by law to receive such confidential Information, regardless of whether such information is in the form of paper, preserved on microfilm, or is stored on electronic media.

"Certification Period" means the one-year period following the initial certification or a renewal certification by NAPRA of VIPPS status.

"Criteria" means the requirements for certification in the VIPPS program.

"Deliver" or "Delivery" means the actual, or attempted, transfer of a drug or device from one person to another.

"Device" means any article, instrument, apparatus, or contrivance, including any component part or accessory thereof, manufactured, sold or presented for use in:
a) the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of a disease, disorder or abnormal physical state, or its symptoms, in human beings and animals;
b) restoring, correcting or modifying a body function or body structure of human beings or animals;
c) the diagnosis of pregnancy in human beings or animals; or
d) the care of human beings or animals during pregnancy and at and after birth of the offspring, including care of the offspring,
and includes a contraceptive device but doe not include a drug.

"Dispense" or "Dispensing" means the interpretation, evaluation, and implementation of a prescription drug order, including the preparation and delivery of a drug or device to a patient or patient's agent in a suitable container appropriately labelled for subsequent administration to, or use by, a patient.

"Distribute," means the delivery of a drug or device other than by administering or dispensing.

"Drug" includes any substance or mixture of substances manufactured, sold or represented for use in:

1. the diagnosis, treatment, mitigation or prevention of a disease, disorder or abnormal physical state, or its symptoms, in human beings and animals;
2. restoring, correcting or modifying organic functions in human beings or animals; or
3. disinfection in premises in which food is manufactured, prepared or kept.

1. Evaluation of the Prescription order(s) and patient record(s) for:
   1. known allergies;
   2. rational therapy-contraindications;
   3. reasonable dose and route of Administration; and
   4. reasonable directions for use.
   5. duplication of therapy.
   6. interactions:
   • Drug-Drug
   • Drug-food
   • Drug-disease
   7. adverse Drug reactions.
2. Assessment of the Prescription order(s) and patient record(s) for proper utilization (including over- or under-utilization), and determining optimum therapeutic outcomes.

"Electronic Transmission" means transmission of information in electronic form or the transmission of the exact visual image of a document by way of electronic equipment.

"Interchangeable Drug Product" means a drug or combination of drugs in a particular dosage form and strength identified by a specific product name or manufacturer and designated as interchangeable with one or more other such products by provincial or territorial regulatory authorities.

"Labelling" is the process of preparing and affixing a label to any drug container exclusive, however, of the labelling by a manufacturer, packer, or distributor of a non-prescription drug or commercially packaged drug or device. Any such label shall include all information required by provincial regulations and policies of the licensing body.

"Manufacturer" means a person engaged in the manufacture of drugs or devices.

"Manufacturing" means the production, preparation, propagation, conversion, or processing of a drug or device, either directly or indirectly, by extraction from substances of natural origin or independently by means of chemical or biological synthesis, and includes any packaging or repackaging of the substance(s) or labelling or re-labelling of its container, and the promotion and marketing of such drugs or devices. Manufacturing also includes the preparation of commercially available products from bulk compounds for resale by pharmacies, physicians, or others.

"Medical Order" means a lawful order of a licensed practitioner, which may or may not include a prescription order.

"Non-Prescription Drug" means a drug which may be sold without a prescription (Schedule II, III and Unscheduled according to NAPRA’s National Drug Schedules and which is labeled for use by the consumer in accordance with the requirements of the laws and rules of the provincial and federal governments.

"Patient Counseling" means the oral communication by the pharmacist of information, as described in NAPRA’s Model Standards of Practice for Canadian Pharmacists, to the patient or caregiver, in order to ensure proper use of drugs and devices.

"Person" means an individual, corporation, subsidiary, partnership, association, organization, affiliate organization, or any other entity involved with or through the Internet pharmacy in the practice of pharmacy, including government.

"Pharmaceutical Care" is the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient's quality of life. These outcomes are: cure of a disease; elimination or reduction of a patient's symptomatology; arresting or slowing of a disease process; preventing a disease or symptomatology. Pharmaceutical care involves the process through which a pharmacist cooperates with a patient and other professionals in designing, implementing, and monitoring a therapeutic plan that will produce specific therapeutic outcomes for the patient. This involves three major functions: 1. Identifying potential, and actual, drug-related problems; 2. Resolving actual drug-related problems; 3. Preventing drug-related problems.

"Pharmacist-in-Charge" means a pharmacist who accepts responsibility for the operation of the pharmacy in conformance with all laws and rules pertinent to the Practice of Pharmacy and the Distribution of Drugs as defined by the relevant licensing bodies, and who is personally in full and actual charge of such pharmacy and personnel.

"Pharmacy" means any place within the province or territory, or any place outside of a province or territory, where drugs are dispensed and pharmaceutical care is provided to residents of the province or territory.

"Pharmacy Intern" or "Pharmacy student" means an individual who is registered as an intern or student under a provincial or territorial Pharmacy Act/Regulations, and may perform those duties and activities as outlined in the Act or Regulations.

"Pharmacy Licensing Body" or "PRA" means the Canadian provincial or territorial regulatory body empowered to regulate pharmacists and pharmacies including granting and disciplining licenses of individuals and companies.

"Tele-pharmacy Practice" means the dispensing of medications, information and the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients from a distance through the use of telecommunications and information technologies.

"Practice of Pharmacy" means the interpretation, evaluation, and implementation of medical orders; the dispensing of prescription drug orders; participation in drug and device selection, drug administration, drug regimen reviews, and drug or drug-related research; provision of patient counselling and the provision of those acts or services necessary to provide pharmaceutical care in all areas of patient care, including primary care and collaborative pharmacy practice; and the responsibility for compounding and labelling of drugs and devices (except labelling by a manufacturer, re-packager, or distributor of non-prescription drugs), proper and safe storage of drugs and devices, and maintenance of proper records for them.

"Practitioner" means an individual currently licensed, registered, or otherwise authorized by the appropriate jurisdiction to prescribe and administer drugs in the course of professional practice.

"Prescription Drug" means a drug that may only be dispensed upon the receipt of a medical order.

"Prescription Drug Order" means a lawful order from a Practitioner for a Drug or Device for a specific patient, including orders derived from Collaborative Pharmacy Practice that is communicated directly to a Pharmacist in a licensed Pharmacy.

"Primary Care" is the first level, or point, of contact of individuals, the family, and the community within the health care delivery system for non-emergent care, bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work, and constitutes the first element of a continuing health care process. (Areas of Primary Care where Pharmacists provide Pharmaceutical Care include, but are not limited to, the following: chronic disease management; smoking cessation; maternal and child health; immunizations; family planning; self-care consulting; Drug selection under protocol; treatment of common diseases and injuries; nutrition; and general health education and promotion.)

"Prospective Drug Use Review" means a review of the patient's Drug therapy and Prescription Drug Order as part of a Drug Regimen Review prior to dispensing the drug.

"Wholesale Distributor" means any Person engaged in wholesale distribution of drugs, including but not limited to manufacturers; re-packagers; own-label distributors; private-label distributors; jobbers; brokers; warehouses (including manufacturers' and distributors' warehouses, chain drug warehouses, and wholesale drug warehouses); independent wholesale drug traders; and retail pharmacies that conduct wholesale distribution.