Development of the Auburn Induction Scale for evaluating induction quality in dogs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Anesthesia
• Animal Welfare
• Research Methodology

Background:

• Assessing the quality of anesthesia induction in dogs is crucial for patient safety and research accuracy.
• Existing methods may lack sufficient reliability and consistency among observers.
• A validated instrument is needed to standardize the evaluation of anesthetic induction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and establish the validity of a novel instrument for assessing anesthesia induction quality in dogs.
• To compare the reliability of the new scale against existing methods.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey of veterinary anesthesia personnel identified key descriptors of anesthesia induction.
• An online survey generated 133 expressions, which anesthesiologists used to create the Auburn Induction Scale.
• Videos of 18 dogs undergoing anesthesia induction were scored by four anesthesiologists using the Auburn Induction Scale, a Simple Descriptive Scale (SDS), and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS); intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).

Main Results:

• The Auburn Induction Scale exhibited higher mean intra-rater reliability (ICC = 0.81) compared to SDS (0.71) and VAS (0.71).
• The Auburn Induction Scale also showed superior mean inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.69) versus SDS (0.61) and VAS (0.60).
• These findings indicate greater consistency in scoring when using the Auburn Induction Scale.

Conclusions:

• The developed Auburn Induction Scale is a reliable tool for assessing anesthesia induction quality in dogs within a research context.
• This composite scale offers improved reliability among and between raters compared to unidimensional scales.
• Widespread adoption of the Auburn Induction Scale can enhance data accuracy and agreement in veterinary anesthesia studies.