title: Report of the FELASA Working Group on evaluation of quality systems for animal units.
abstract: This report compares and considers the merits of existing, internationally available quality management systems suitable for implementation in experimental animal facilities. These are: the Good Laboratory Practice Guidelines, ISO 9000:2000 (International Organization for Standardization) and AAALAC International (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International). Good laboratory practice (GLP) is a legal requirement for institutions undertaking non-clinical health and environmental studies for the purpose of registering or licensing for use and which have to be 'GLP-compliant'. GLP guidelines are often only relevant for and obtainable by those institutions. ISO is primarily an external business standard, which provides a management tool to master and optimize a business activity; it aims to implement and enhance 'customer satisfaction'. AAALAC is primarily a peer-reviewed system of accreditation which evaluates the organization and procedures in programmes of animal care and use to ensure the appropriate use of animals, safeguard animal well-being (ensuring state-of-the-art housing, management, procedural techniques, etc.) as well as the management of health and safety of staff. Management needs to determine, on the basis of a facility's specific goals, whether benefits would arise from the introduction of a quality system and, if so, which system is most appropriate. The successful introduction of a quality system confers peer-recognition against an independent standard, thereby providing assurance of standards of animal care and use, improving the quality of animal studies, and contributing to the three Rs-reduction, refinement and replacement.
authors.affiliation: University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Herck
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guillen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bacon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joffe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ritskes-Hoitinga
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D000827:Animal Welfare / Q000592:standards*; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D005161:Facility Regulation and Control / Q000592:standards; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011786:Quality Control; D013597:Systems Analysis; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*