A Study for Improving Animal Welfare by Focusing on Scientific Publications on Research with Laboratory Animals that Include a Discussion of Pain Management Practice

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General Audience Summary The project aims both to improve the life of laboratory animals, and to improve the data that comes from experimentation on them. To accomplish these aims, the investigator will analyze the reporting of pain management in research involving animal subjects. The results of this analysis will be used to recommend guidelines on improved data gathering and publication practices as integral components of responsible use of animal subjects and improved animal welfare. The results will also be incorporated into the investigator's teaching (of veterinarians, laboratory technicians, and scientists) and they will be presented in publications for lay audiences interested in science and in animal welfare. Technical Summary The investigator and his team will weave together two strands of concern, data quality and the ethical treatment of animals in animal research. They will review 250 publications using animal subjects and analyze their description of pain management. The resulting database will then serve as the basis for an analysis of the varied approaches to pain management with the goal of illuminating some of the most significant motivating factors in the researchers reports (and underreports) of pain management. The goal of this project is to expand the conversation regarding the role of pain management in animal research. The formal analysis of published research with a focus on the description of pain management practice will provide new insight to this fundamental component of all animal research.