title: A review of approaches to quality assurance of veterinary systems for health-status certification.
abstract: Regarding national and international trade of animals and animal products, certificates are required to document specific health levels. The credibility of such certificates depends on the quality of the data used to establish the status. Credibility also depends on the quality of the design and protocols used in the data-gathering process (i.e. on the quality of the surveillance-and-monitoring systems (SMS) and on the quality of the veterinary administrative systems (VAdminS)). The major requirements for the assessment of the SMS and VAdminS are: objectivity, accuracy, transparency, practicality, quantitative in nature. To assess the quality of SMS and VAdminS, systems analysis might provide a suitable framework. Systems analysis requires the identification and description of all components of the system-how they interact with each other and with other systems. Graphical methods (e.g. fault trees) are available to support this procedure. To assess the quality of SMS, scoring systems have been suggested. Their main weakness is the inherent subjectiveness. Alternatively, performance indicators (PI) could be used. For the assessment of VAdminS, questionnaires have been developed and applied. Their main limitations are that they focus on the input rather than on the output and that they are purely descriptive in nature. Thus, comparisons between countries are almost impossible. Semi-quantitative questionnaires using scores now are being developed and tested, although their limitations will be similar to those mentioned above. Another approach is the use of risk assessment including standardised data files assembled by countries volunteering to be assessed. This was applied successfully by the European Union (EU) in the geographic risk assessment for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). In general, the publication and documentation of veterinary systems needs to be encouraged to make them accessible to peer review.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, P O Box, CH-3003, Bern, Switzerland. katharina.staerk@bvet.admin.ch
authors.forename: Katharina D C
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Stärk
authors.forename: Mo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salman
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tempelman
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kihm
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000818:Animals; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards*; D003132:Commerce; D006304:Health Status; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011786:Quality Control; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*