[The role of the Order of Veterinarians in the quality control of private veterinarians in France].

Instituted by the law of 23 August 1947, the missions of the Order of Veterinarians include monitoring compliance by all of its members (private veterinarians) with their professional obligations and with the rules laid down bythe Code of Practice of the profession. This code provides a national guide to good practice with which private veterinarians must comply, both in their personal behaviour and in their relations with their colleagues, the administration and their partners. Any violation of the provisions of the Code may result in disciplinary procedures being invoked by the administrative and judiciary authorities, or by any other interested person. This procedure leads to sanctions ranging from a warning to ten years suspension. In order to carry out its monitoring task, the Order needs to know the precise number and quality of its members and must then assess the quality of the service provided by these professionals in terms of respect for the Code of Practice. The Order must audit the competence of veterinarians, throughout their lives, by means of a continuing quality assurance mechanism for ongoing assessment of their knowledge; this mechanism has yet to be created. Finally, the Order must constantly listen to users of the profession, who must be provided with the best service at the lowest cost.