A scoping review of ethical decisions and decision tools for experimental animal protocols

Scientific research projects involving animals are required to undergo ethical evaluation, generally known as harm-benefit analysis (HBA), to ensure that they address important ethical concerns related to animal welfare and the scientific quality of the research to maximize the likelihood of their potential benefits. Research continuously shows the challenges encountered by decision-makers, prompting researchers to review how HBA is conducted and to propose tools to aid decision-making. However, the extent to which such resources are currently available, their jurisdictions of applicability, and how they guide decision-making are not entirely clear.

Through a Scoping Review methodology, a systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for publications in Europe and North America (USA and Canada) from 1985 to 2023. Title and abstract, full-text, and reference screenings, followed by data charting, respectively, were carried out for retrieved publications using pre-developed and registered review protocol.

17 resources that can guide HBA and decision-making were identified. They discussed what should constitute harm to animals and benefits of research, and how these two interests can be balanced to make a decision. Some adopt mathematical calculations, some propose guidelines for committee discussions, while others propose the combination of different approaches to decision-making.

Decision-making based on deliberation among committee members should be supported over the use of scoring approaches. Additionally, making ethical decisions on a case-by-case basis is preferable to accuracy, which may not be realistically practicable.