By R. Scott Nolen

The AVMA House of Delegates Friday requested that the Executive Board convene a multidisciplinary group to review the Association's Judicious Therapeutic Use of Antimicrobials Policy.

Delegates also asked that the group, to be fashioned after the former Steering Committee on Judicious Therapeutic Antimicrobial Use, consider revising the policy to clarify the veterinarian's role in achieving this end.

And finally, they requested that the Executive Board provide the group's recommendation to the HOD for final consideration no later than the 2010 regular annual session.

The request was prompted by Resolution 3, which would have removed the words "when under the direction of a veterinarian" from the following statement in the policy: "Judicious use of antimicrobials, when under the direction of a veterinarian, should meet all requirements of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship."

Resolution 3 was submitted by the New Jersey VMA, Association of Avian Veterinarians, and Washington State VMA. In the background information for that resolution, the sponsoring groups explained that, as organizational policy, the AVMA should have the clearly stated, unequivocal concept that veterinarians are the gatekeepers and decision makers regarding judicious use of antimicrobials.

Dr. Robert J. Gordon, the New Jersey VMA delegate, encouraged the HOD to defeat the recommendation for referral of the resolution to the board, and to put the measure to a vote. The proposed revision, Dr. Gordon said, would make the policy consistent with other AVMA policies concerning a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship. He also noted that what the recommendation proposes is a major undertaking that is unlikely to be completed within a year.