1. Compliance - whose “problem” is it?
(Getting PI buy-in & increased involvement, self-reporting & issue resolution).
Ron E. Banks, DVM
Duke University Animal Care & Use Program

2. Who’s the Problem? (A clinical care conundrum!)
An animal fails to respond appropriately to a treatment
Vet: Blame the failure on a lack of owner compliance
Owner: Blame the vet or the vet’s treatment as faulty
Outcomes:
Vet: That was the best treatment for the animal's problem based on the latest scientific knowledge. I wasted my time and energy .. And gave them a discount!
Owner: I wasted time and money and the animal didn’t get better. Must be a crummy vet.
Problem:
Breakdown in client-practitioner communication
No sharing of the same view of the situation or similar anticipated goals
Bias suggest ‘ours’ or ‘theirs’ as two treatment options … not the ‘right’ one

3. Consider An Adage … … and a few corollaries
1. It doesn’t matter how good the food is … if they won’t eat it
2. It doesn’t matter how great the therapy … if they don’t use it
3. It doesn’t matter how fine the plans … if plans are not followed
4. It doesn’t matter how smooth the design … if it is long or complex

4. Are there secrets to veterinary medical care compliance?
To ensure owner compliance, there must be acknowledgement of four distinct issues:
The animal's physiological needs.
The animal's behavior.
The relationship between any care-givers and the animal.
The care-giver's lifestyle.

5. But what does this mean to ACUPs?
To ensure institutional compliance, we need to acknowledge that successful treatments address four distinct issues:
The institution’s physiological needs.
The PIs behavior.
The relationship between any IACUC and the research community.
The research community’s lifestyle.

6. But what does this mean to ACUPs?
QUESTION: What are the institution’s physiological needs?
QUESTION: How can we address those needs?

7. But what does this mean to ACUPs?
QUESTION: What is the PIs behavior.
QUESTION: How can we work with that behavior? Or change it?

8. But what does this mean to ACUPs?
QUESTION: What is the relationship between any IACUC and the research community?
QUESTION: How can we encourage mutually beneficial partnership?

9. But what does this mean to ACUPs?
QUESTION: What is the research community’s lifestyle?
QUESTION: How can we shepherd the institution toward a ‘Culture of Compliance?’