The impasse at Great Eastern University stems from different interpretations of the regulations regarding IACUC approval for all animal facility Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Covelli and Koul disagree about the practical implementation of the regulations but share their intent for the IACUC to ensure delivery of quality animal care, regardless of the approval process for SOPs. The quality of animal care and welfare could be best assessed and evaluated by the IACUC either by semiannual review or by periodic evaluation of the program. The performance outcome of animal facility operations, as measured against the benchmarks for the quality of care and animal welfare, should be the standard metric for IACUC to evaluate SOPs and recommend any changes. When the performance in delivery of quality animal care and regulatory compliance is not compromised, then the IACUC requirement for prior approval of or recommendation of changes to the facility SOPs is unwarranted. In this scenario, Covelli should evaluate the program's quality of animal care to determine whether changes to any SOPs are needed; he should not just request prior approval without metrics, which may not add value to the process.
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