An Important Message about IVIT

The College of Naturopaths of Ontario (the College) is taking this opportunity to make Registrants of the College and members of the public aware of a concerning trend involving intravenous infusion therapy (IVIT). Over the past 18 months, we have seen that compounding for and administration of IVIT is being done by individual NDs who a) have not met the necessary qualifications and b) are performing it in locations that are not registered to do so.

Briefly, for an ND to be permitted to compound drugs for the purposes of administering IVIT or in order to actually administer IVIT, they must successfully complete two courses, one in therapeutic prescribing and the other in intravenous infusion therapy. They must also successfully complete an examination in each area. These courses and exams make sure that the NDs have the knowledge, skill and judgment to perform these high-risk procedures.

Compounding for and administering IVIT cannot be done in just any location. It must be performed in a location that has been registered with the College, inspected and deemed to have met all of the safety requirements for the provision of IVIT. This means that providing IVIT in a patient’s home or in every naturopathic clinic is not permitted.

For Registrants of the College, it is imperative that you do not provide IVIT unless you have met both the standards of practice for therapeutic prescribing and intravenous infusion therapy. Compounding for and administering IVIT without having met the standards is considered to be a breach of the Naturopathy Act, 2007 and its regulations and a breach of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. It may result in the College initiating an investigation into your conduct.

For members of the public who seek naturopathic services, in particular IVIT, we strongly urge you to search the Naturopathic Register on the College’s website to ensure that the ND you are thinking about visiting is registered with the College and authorized to provide these services. When you find the name of the person, click on “Details” and look to ensure that they are able to provide “Extended Services”. You should see Therapeutic Prescribing and Intravenous Infusion Therapy (IVIT) listed in the Extended Services section of their profile. If both of these are not listed, the ND you are considering is not authorized to provide IVIT; however, if they are listed, they can provide other important naturopathic services.

The public can also search the College’s IVIT Premises register on our website to ensure that the clinic you are visiting is registered and whether it has passed its inspection. On this register, you can search by clinic name, by city and by the first or last name of the ND. By clicking on “Details” beside the clinic listed, you will see all of the relevant details of the clinic and be able to access their most recent inspection report. If the clinic is not listed there, it is not authorized to provide IVIT at that location.

Should anyone, including Registrants, determine that a person is providing naturopathic services while not registered with the College or where IVIT is being provided by an ND who is not authorized to do so or in a premise that is not registered, you are invited to alert the College by email to general@collegeofnaturopaths.on.ca or complaint@collegeofnaturopaths.on.ca.

Any registrant of a health regulatory college who provides services for which they have not met the qualifications is placing the public at risk of harm and is discrediting the regulation of the profession.