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Entry 244Filed under Breeding

Veterinary Practice Biosecurity Tracker: How to Use AAHA’s Self-Assessment

AAHA’s Veterinary Practice Biosecurity Tracker records whether tactics are fully, partly, or not implemented. Use it as a team self-audit—not as an infection-outcome measure—to identify practical next steps.
3-minute read By Animalso Team
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AAHA’s Veterinary Practice Biosecurity Tracker helps a veterinary team record which infection-control tactics are fully implemented, partly implemented, or not yet implemented. Use it as a self-audit and planning aid: it can reveal strengths and gaps, but it is not a tool that measures infection rates or proves that a particular tactic reduced infections.

What the Veterinary Practice Biosecurity Tracker measures

The tracker is an online self-assessment associated with AAHA’s infection control, prevention, and biosecurity (ICPB) guidance. For each tactic, the practice records its implementation status as fully, partly, or not implemented. That makes it useful for organizing a discussion about current practices and choosing what to improve next.

It does not measure infection outcomes, calculate a compliance score, or establish that the practice is free of risk. AAHA’s November 10, 2025 overview describes the tracker as a way to identify strengths and areas for growth; the tracker itself dates to May 16, 2019. Read AAHA’s overview or open the tracker.

How to turn the self-assessment into an improvement plan

AAHA’s guidance supports assigning infection-control responsibility, maintaining practical procedures, educating staff, conducting surveillance, and evaluating compliance. The sequence below is a practical way to use the tracker alongside those recommendations; AAHA does not prescribe a particular meeting schedule or scoring formula.

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  1. Assign a lead. Identify an infection-control practitioner or champion to coordinate the review and follow-up.
  2. Complete the assessment as a team. Discuss how work is actually done, rather than recording only what a written policy says. Mark each tactic fully, partly, or not implemented.
  3. Choose specific gaps to address. For partial or unimplemented tactics, identify the relevant patient, staff, or facility risk and what is preventing consistent use.
  4. Match each gap to guidance. Use AAHA’s supporting materials to shape an appropriate procedure, training, or facility change.
  5. Assign responsibility and check implementation. Decide who will make the change, what resources or training are needed, and how the team will assess whether the procedure is being followed.
  6. Revisit the assessment when useful. Use the same status categories to discuss progress; do not treat a changed status as evidence of a measured reduction in infections.

AAHA’s 2018 ICPB guidelines describe infection control as a broader program intended to limit pathogen entry and transmission and to use surveillance to detect pathogen introduction. They also note that implementation can vary with practice resources and individual patient needs; the guidelines are guidance, not an AAHA standard of care.

How to prioritize the gaps you find

Start by asking what a proposed change is meant to prevent: a pathogen entering the practice, spreading between patients, or exposing staff and clients. Then consider the type of control, whether the team can apply it consistently, and what implementation will require.

  • Environmental or facility changes: Consider whether a physical change can reduce exposure or transmission at its source.
  • Work-practice changes: Review whether triage, patient flow, cleaning routines, or written procedures can address the gap.
  • Personal protective equipment: Use PPE when indicated by the risk and protocol; an assessment finding does not automatically mean that the practice needs to buy more PPE.
  • Implementation capacity: Check staffing, training, supply access, and monitoring needs before selecting an action.

AAHA’s infection-control strategies explain a hierarchy of controls: higher-tier measures are generally more effective at minimizing hazards, but practices often need multiple measures, including PPE where appropriate.

AAHA resources to use with the tracker

The ICPB resource center includes practical materials that can help a team respond to specific findings:

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  • A phone-triage checklist for potentially infectious incoming patients
  • A roles-and-responsibilities worksheet
  • Guidance and tools on cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, PPE, and isolation
  • Materials on identifying high-risk patients and training staff

For a cleaning or disinfection gap, use the practice’s protocol and follow the selected product’s label. AAHA and Virox Animal Health’s infection-control booklet discusses role clarity, facility risk levels, transmission routes, disinfectant selection, staff training, access to supplies, and quality control. It is educational guidance, not an endorsement of a particular retail product or brand.

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What the tracker can—and cannot—tell you

A completed assessment can make implementation status visible and help a team decide where to focus. AAHA’s published tracker and overview do not provide a tracker-specific figure showing reduced infection rates, improved compliance, or cost savings. Treat the results as a structured self-review, and use surveillance and compliance evaluation as separate parts of the practice’s infection-control program.

AAHA notes that a biosecurity breach can have medical, social, and financial effects on patients, clients, and staff, and can affect a hospital’s reputation. The tracker helps organize prevention work; it is not a substitute for clinical judgment, appropriate procedures, or the wider ICPB program.

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