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Pain and Laboratory Animals: Publication Practices for Better Data Reproducibility and Better Animal Welfare
1Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of California San Francisco, 513 Parnassus, San Francisco, California 94143-0564, United States of America.
Plos One
|May 13, 2016
Summary
Scientific reporting on animal anesthesia and analgesia is incomplete, impacting both animal welfare and research validity. Improved guidelines are needed for transparent pain management reporting in scientific publications.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Anesthesiology
- Laboratory Animal Science
- Scientific Publishing Ethics
Background:
- Major survival surgeries in laboratory animals present challenges in managing pain and its impact on research outcomes.
- Transparent reporting of anesthesia and analgesia is crucial for animal welfare and scientific rigor.
- Existing literature lacks comprehensive details on pain management in animal research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the completeness of information regarding anesthesia and analgesia in scientific articles reporting major animal survival surgeries.
- To identify deficiencies in reporting pain management practices in the scientific literature.
- To evaluate the influence of journal impact factor and publishing guidelines on reporting completeness.
Main Methods:
- A systematic scoring of 400 scientific articles (including referenced articles) detailing major animal survival surgeries.
- Articles were evaluated for Publication Completeness (PC), Analgesia Use (AU), and Analgesia Completeness (AC).
- Analysis included procedures across various species and surgical types, with data from pre-2011 and 2014-15 publications.
Main Results:
- A significant majority of articles (338/400) mentioned anesthesia (PC), but only 98/338 detailed post-surgical analgesia (AU).
- Journal impact factor and adherence to ARRIVE guidelines did not significantly improve reporting completeness.
- No articles lacking analgesic use information explicitly stated withholding analgesics or discussed potential impacts on results.
Conclusions:
- Current scientific literature is unreliable for detailed information on animal anesthetic and analgesic use.
- Publication guidelines and animal welfare regulations inadequately address the dual importance of pain management for welfare and data integrity.
- Revised guidelines for journals, scientists, and regulators are necessary to ensure transparent reporting of pain management in animal studies.
