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INTRODUCTION

Many institutions have sought guidance on how to conduct adequate semiannual reviews of institutional programs and facilities for the care and use of animals as required by the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy). This PHS Policy requirement, found at IV.B.1.&2., states that, at least once every six months, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will review the institution's program for humane care and use of animals and inspect all of the institution's animal facilities. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide) contains the standards and benchmarks to be used as a basis for evaluation. This sample checklist is a tool designed to assist IACUCs in conducting thorough semiannual reviews. The sample checklist covers the major topics of the Guide, and the requirements of the PHS Policy. Links within the checklist are to relevant sections in the Guide. Use the BACK button of your browser to return to the checklist.

Endnotes are included to reference specific United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulatory requirements that differ from the PHS Policy.

This checklist does not replace the Guide; it should be utilized in conjunction with the Guide which contains the standards, recommendations, and descriptions of desired outcomes necessary to evaluate and inspect an animal care and use program.

This checklist is provided only as a suggestion. USE OF THIS CHECKLIST IS NOT MANDATORY. OLAW encourages institutions to try this checklist, to amend it as necessary to reflect institutional programs and needs, or to develop their own checklist.

OLAW is interested in your comments on the usefulness of this checklist and any suggestions for revision. We consider this document to be dynamic, subject to change as institutions provide feedback on their experiences with it. Suggestions or comments about this checklist should be sent to: olaw@od.nih.gov.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHECKLIST

The IACUC has a mandate to review at least once every six months the institution's program for the care and use of animals using the Guide as a basis for evaluation. The program review section is titled "Sample Semiannual Program Review Checklist." This program review section is further divided into "Institutional Policies and Responsibilities" that corresponds to Chapter One of the Guide, and "Veterinary Medical Care" that corresponds to Chapter Three of the Guide. It is recommended that the program review section be completed during an IACUC meeting.

The IACUC is also charged with inspecting at least once every six months all of the institution's animal facilities, including satellite facilities, using the Guide as a basis for evaluation. The second half is titled "Sample Semiannual Facility Inspection Checklist" and corresponds to Chapters Two and Four of the Guide. This section is further divided into: animal housing and support areas; cagewash; aseptic surgery; and procedure areas, non-survival surgeries, laboratories, and rodent surgeries. Because these are physical aspects of a program that require visual observation to evaluate, it is recommended that this section be completed during an inspection of facilities. There is an additional page on which to record observations during the facility inspection.

A table is provided, titled "Sample Semiannual Program and Facility Review Report." It is intended to suggest a format for the IACUC to organize and track information regarding deficiencies, and plans and schedules for correction. Some IACUCs may wish to attach the table to the report to the Institutional Official.

VIEW THE CHECKLIST

DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST

If you wish to download the sample checklist for use as a template, click one of the versions below. If you need help, see the instructions above.

MS Word - 71 KB  
Rich Text Format (RTF - 151 KB)