Ethics and animal issues in US medical education

Increasing public and regulatory agency concern about a variety of animal protection issues that affect the field of medicine have made these issues increasingly relevant to medical school curricula. The purpose of this study was to assess the availability and forms of medical school training relating to ethical, conceptual, and societal concerns in the use of animals within the field of medicine and the perceived need for such training. Questionnaire surveys were mailed to the Deans of the 125 accredited US medical schools, and completed by Deans or their designees within the same medical institution. Questionnaire recipients were informed that results would be compiled in a fashion that did not identify specific individuals or institutions. Survey responses were obtained from 84 medical institutions (67% response). Sixty respondents (71%) indicated that their medical school offered or sponsored some type of activity related to ethical and conceptual concerns in the use of animals in medical research and training. Most schools (43) offered informal discussions/seminars relating to these issues, but nine schools offered full formal courses with up to 15 lectures on these topics. Programme content and perceived need for additional instruction varied greatly amongst respondents. The results suggest a wide diversity amongst US medical schools in the availability and perceived importance of medical school training relating to ethical and conceptual concerns in the uses of animals in medicine. It is proposed that instruction in these areas be pursued with more concerted efforts to address the growing body of knowledge about non-human beings and the ethical implications of such knowledge.