1997]. Exam<strong>in</strong>ations per<strong>for</strong>med on the animal should berecorded; however, per<strong>for</strong>mance of rout<strong>in</strong>e preventivemedical procedures on an entire group of animals may berecorded as a group record. Cl<strong>in</strong>ical records ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed on<strong>in</strong>dividual animals are used to document rout<strong>in</strong>e preventivecare (e.g., physical exam<strong>in</strong>ations, vacc<strong>in</strong>ations, dental prophylaxis),as well as spontaneous (non-<strong>in</strong>duced) illnesses or<strong>in</strong>juries [NRC 1996]. These records should also documentperi-surgical and peri-anesthetic care.B. Group Health <strong>Records</strong>Group health records may be appropriate <strong>for</strong> animals thatare members of a larger cohort (e.g. a colony/school/flock/herd/room), as well as <strong>for</strong> animals that undergo periodicevaluation by means of exam<strong>in</strong>ation of several representative<strong>in</strong>dividuals of the group [Hask<strong>in</strong>s and Eisele 1997;Suckow and Doer<strong>in</strong>g 2000]. Documentation of peri-surgicaland peri-anesthetic care may also be done as a group record.C. <strong>Records</strong> of Sedation or Anesthesia andPeri-surgical/Peri-procedural Care <strong>for</strong> Survivaland Term<strong>in</strong>al Procedures<strong>Records</strong> of sedation and anesthesia (with or without surgery),and peri-surgical / peri-procedural care, documentadequate veter<strong>in</strong>ary care and the alleviation of pa<strong>in</strong> anddistress dur<strong>in</strong>g the conduct of these procedures [Hask<strong>in</strong>sand Eisele 1997], whether survival or term<strong>in</strong>al. Proceduresof this nature should be documented <strong>in</strong> a medical recordand/or research record, or can be l<strong>in</strong>ked and available to therecord, as deemed appropriate by the <strong>in</strong>stitution.The procedural documentation may conta<strong>in</strong>:1. Animal or group identification and the date of theprocedure,2. All drugs adm<strong>in</strong>istered, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g dose, route, time, andthe ability to identify the person adm<strong>in</strong>ister<strong>in</strong>g thedrugs,3. A description of the surgical procedure and identificationof the surgeon(s),4. Ongo<strong>in</strong>g f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs dur<strong>in</strong>g monitor<strong>in</strong>g,5. Notation of any variations from the normal and expectedevents dur<strong>in</strong>g the anesthetic and recovery periods,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the actions taken and the time per<strong>for</strong>med,the animal’s response to these actions, and the ability toidentify the person per<strong>for</strong>m<strong>in</strong>g these actions,6. Assessment <strong>for</strong> pa<strong>in</strong> and distress,7. Actions taken to alleviate pa<strong>in</strong> and distress, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>gnon-pharmacologic <strong>in</strong>terventions, and the response tothese actions,8. A notation def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g the end of the monitor<strong>in</strong>g period(euthanasia or functional recovery from the sedation oranesthesia), <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the time, date, and the ability toidentify the person per<strong>for</strong>m<strong>in</strong>g this observation.Other Types of <strong>Records</strong>Experimentally <strong>in</strong>duced disease/research records, andbreed<strong>in</strong>g records, are not necessarily a part of the medicalrecord, but they may provide useful adjunctive <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mationabout the animal’s welfare. The <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation <strong>in</strong> these recordsmay be <strong>in</strong>cluded as part of the medical record when deemedappropriate by the Attend<strong>in</strong>g Veter<strong>in</strong>arian.A. Experimentally Induced Disease/<strong>Research</strong> RecordA dist<strong>in</strong>ction must be made between spontaneous disease(rare <strong>in</strong> young, microbiologically-def<strong>in</strong>ed research animals)and experimentally <strong>in</strong>duced diseases. Cl<strong>in</strong>ical notations <strong>for</strong>disease which is experimentally <strong>in</strong>duced <strong>in</strong> animals do notnecessarily need to be recorded <strong>in</strong> the medical record.Rather, it may be appropriate <strong>for</strong> this <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation to bereta<strong>in</strong>ed with<strong>in</strong> the research records, which must then bereadily available <strong>for</strong> review by the veter<strong>in</strong>ary staff. If researchdata <strong>in</strong> a researcher’s notebook or computerized databasecannot be readily retrieved, then essential cl<strong>in</strong>icaldata should be <strong>in</strong>cluded with<strong>in</strong> the medical record.<strong>Research</strong> records can be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>for</strong> an <strong>in</strong>dividual ora group of animals, and may take on many <strong>for</strong>ms and haveseveral components, such as a laboratory notebook, cagecards, or other suitable records. Such <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation may <strong>in</strong>clude:animal identification <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation (may be group ID);date and type of procedure per<strong>for</strong>med/compound adm<strong>in</strong>istered/etc;rout<strong>in</strong>e observations def<strong>in</strong>ed by the protocol; adverseor unexpected complications; and date of euthanasiaor term<strong>in</strong>ation of study.B. Breed<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Records</strong><strong>Records</strong> <strong>for</strong> breed<strong>in</strong>g animals may be ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed to documentmedical <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation relevant to reproduction. Whenma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>ed, these records can be <strong>in</strong>cluded with<strong>in</strong> the animal’smedical record, or can be l<strong>in</strong>ked and available to therecord. These records should allow the veter<strong>in</strong>ary and/orresearch staff to identify the pedigree of the animal, whenappropriate [NRC 1996]. Typically useful <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation <strong>in</strong>cludesthe animal identification, genotype, sire and dam,animals with which the <strong>in</strong>dividual has been paired, and theoutcome of each breed<strong>in</strong>g attempt. Additional <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mationwhich allows identification of the animal’s breed<strong>in</strong>g historyand productivity may be <strong>in</strong>cluded as needed [FASS 1999].Conclusions<strong>Medical</strong> records <strong>for</strong> animals used <strong>in</strong> research, teach<strong>in</strong>g andtest<strong>in</strong>g are a core component of adequate veter<strong>in</strong>ary care.They should document <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation associated with managementof cl<strong>in</strong>ical disease, diagnostic and therapeutic pro-40 ILAR Journal
cedures per<strong>for</strong>med, and preventive medical procedures. Themethods by which medical records are developed and ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>edshould be determ<strong>in</strong>ed by the <strong>in</strong>stitution, with theguidance and professional judgment of the Attend<strong>in</strong>g Veter<strong>in</strong>arian.Application of per<strong>for</strong>mance standards with<strong>in</strong> themedical record program allows the veter<strong>in</strong>arian to effectivelyemploy professional judgment, ensur<strong>in</strong>g that the animalreceives the highest level of care available.ReferencesACLAM [American College of Laboratory Animal Medic<strong>in</strong>e]. 2004. PublicStatements: <strong>Medical</strong> records <strong>for</strong> animals used <strong>in</strong> research, teach<strong>in</strong>gand test<strong>in</strong>g. Available onl<strong>in</strong>e (http://www.aclam.org/aclam_public.htmlACLAM public statements).APHIS [Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service], US Department ofAgriculture. 2000. Regulation of agricultural animals (Policy 3). In:Animal Care Resource Guide. Wash<strong>in</strong>gton DC: USDA. Available onl<strong>in</strong>e(http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/polmanpdf.html).APHIS [Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service], US Department ofAgriculture. April 11, 2003. Docket No. 97-033-1: Animal Welfare;<strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Records</strong>. ACTION: Proposed rule. Available onl<strong>in</strong>e (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/medicalrecords.html).AVMA [American Veter<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>Medical</strong> Association]. 2002. Pr<strong>in</strong>ciples ofVeter<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>Medical</strong> Ethics of the American Veter<strong>in</strong>ary <strong>Medical</strong> Association.Section VII.A. Available onl<strong>in</strong>e (https://vetboard.glsuite.us/Renewal/Resources/Ma<strong>in</strong>/Pr<strong>in</strong>ciples%20of%20Veter<strong>in</strong>ary%20<strong>Medical</strong>%20Ethics%20of%20the%20AVMA.doc).CareFirst [CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield]. 2004. <strong>Medical</strong> RecordDocumentation Standards. Section 4. Available onl<strong>in</strong>e (http://www.carefirst.com/providers/html/<strong>Medical</strong>Record.html).CFR [Code of Federal Regulations]. 2003, Title 9, Chapter 1, SubchapterA - Animal Welfare. US Department of Agriculture, Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service. Available onl<strong>in</strong>e (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm).Chavis SA, Hutton JI. 1998. The medical record. In: McCurn<strong>in</strong> DM, ed.Cl<strong>in</strong>ical Textbook <strong>for</strong> Veter<strong>in</strong>ary Technicians. 4th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders. p 59-78.FASS [Federation of Animal Science Societies]. 1999. Guide <strong>for</strong> the Careand Use of Agricultural <strong>Animals</strong> <strong>Used</strong> <strong>in</strong> Agricultural <strong>Research</strong> andTeach<strong>in</strong>g. 1st rev ed. Savoy IL: Federation of Animal Science Societies.p 20-25.Gaertner DJ. June 3, 2003. Letter to APHIS on proposed medical recordsrule mak<strong>in</strong>g, Docket No. 97-033-1, Animal Welfare; <strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Records</strong>.Available onl<strong>in</strong>e (http://www.aclam.org/aclam_public.html). ACLAMpublic statements.Hanley MF. June 9, 2003. Letter to APHIS RE: Animal Welfare, <strong>Medical</strong><strong>Records</strong>, Docket No. 97-033-1, Animal Welfare; <strong>Medical</strong> <strong>Records</strong>.Hask<strong>in</strong>s SC, Eisele PH. 1997. Postoperative support and <strong>in</strong>tensive care. In:Kohn DF, Wixson SK, White WJ, Benson GJ, eds. Anesthesia andAnalgesia <strong>in</strong> Laboratory <strong>Animals</strong>. New York: Academic Press. p 381-382.Lees GE. 1981. Symposium on physical diagnosis. History-tak<strong>in</strong>g anddevelopment of the exam<strong>in</strong>ation record. In: Bistner SI, ed. The Veter<strong>in</strong>aryCl<strong>in</strong>ics of North America. Small Animal Practice. Vol. 11 / No.2. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co. p 441-452.NRC [National <strong>Research</strong> Council]. 1996. Guide <strong>for</strong> the Care and Use ofLaboratory <strong>Animals</strong>. 7th ed. Wash<strong>in</strong>gton DC: National Academy Press.p 46-47.Osborne CA. 1983. The problem-oriented medical system. In: FurumotoHH, ed. The Veter<strong>in</strong>ary Cl<strong>in</strong>ics of North America. Small Animal Practice.Vol. 13 / No. 4. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co. p 745-790.Suckow MA, Doern<strong>in</strong>g BJ. 2000. Assessment of veter<strong>in</strong>ary care. In: SilvermanJ, Suckow MA, Murthy S, eds. The IACUC Handbook. BocaRaton: CRC Press. p 460.Volume 48, Number 1 2007 41