Reducing Self-Imposed Regulatory Burden
in Your Animal Care and Use Program

The impact of regulatory burden on animal research has been a growing concern for researchers and staff. In a time of fierce competition for funding, increasingly complex institutional policies and procedures have resulted in slower approval times and more costly research. Many institutions have voluntarily adopted practices that have become excessively burdensome in the name of 100% compliance.  Although stricter and more detailed policies may lead to increased compliance, they may also increase institutional costs without resulting in improved animal welfare. Weighing the costs and benefits of such practices is necessary in order to maintain an efficient and productive animal care and use program.

During this 90-minute advanced-level webinar, a program director and a representative from AAALAC International will discuss common root causes of self-imposed regulatory burden and inefficiency, and provide strategies for critical evaluation of the following areas:

• Protocol review. Do your forms collect more information than is required by the regulations? If so, have you evaluated if/how this provides added benefit to the program?
• Interpretation of regulations. Is your institution over-interpreting the regulations, and confusing recommendations and best practices with requirements? Is this leading to a culture of risk intolerance?
• Internal policies and procedures. Do your institutional policies exceed the regulations? Is your IACUC instituting one-size-fits-all policies when a different approach could be less burdensome?
• Institutional coordination. Is a complex and disconnected relationship between institutional bodies involved with animal care and use slowing down research?

Learning Objectives

After attending this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Recognize some key root causes of self-imposed regulatory burden in animal care and use programs
• Critically evaluate animal care and use programs to begin the process of identifying inefficiencies and unnecessary self-imposed burden

Intended Audience

This advanced-level webinar will benefit individuals involved with animal care and use program oversight, including IACUC members, chairs, and staff; institutional officials; and attending veterinarians.