Research protocol review for animal welfare.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F B Orlans.
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The major results of this survey of scientists' attitudes toward institutional oversight Committees are: overwhelming support that ACUCs be charged with review of experimental protocols and ensuring compliance with national standards governing humane use of animals. Virtually unanimous agreement that both veterinarians and investigators serve on ACUCs as members. Other types of persons most favored for membership include nonscientists, noninstitutional affiliated people, and laboratory animal technicians. Majority support for ACUC review of student projects involving animals.
ACUCs and investigators are challenged by the new federal policies requiring review of experimental protocols. They are also challenged by the requirements to consider alternatives and to reduce animal pain wherever possible. Use of a classification system based on degrees of ethical concern for the animals, (e.g. Table 1 page 12) can help in the selection of projects for expedited review. Knowing how to categorize animal experiments according to their degree of invasiveness can also help conceptualize the bioethical issues involving in justifying animal experiments. Scientists are becoming increasingly familiar with the broad concept of alternatives espoused by the three R's of refinement, reduction, and replacement. Expertise in reviewing experimental protocols for animal welfare concerns and actively applying the concept of alternatives is increasing rapidly. This paper describes some alternative refinements which can lessen the ethical costs if introduced into the experimental design. As experience is gained by ACUCs, more refinements will be identified and applied. The Committee's negotiations with investigators can be constructive in improving the welfare of the laboratory animals and also in enhancing the scientific validity of the results. The experience of ACUCs is that investigators generally support this process and are cooperative in incorporating relevant suggestions into their research protocol.
Two national mechanisms regulate the humane treatment of the 20-40 million laboratory animals that are used annually for experimental purposes in the United States each year. They are: the Public Health Service policy (commonly called the National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy) of 1985, and the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 as amended, a federal law. National policies are constantly being strengthened. Until 1984, national policies covered mainly animal husbandry practices. But the 1985 revised NIH policy directly involves the laboratory for the first time by requiring protocol review for humane concerns. Protocol review of proposed experiments is to be conducted by Animal Care and Use Committees--the institutional oversight committees. It is with effective protocol review that the Refinement, Reduction, and Replacement (of Russell and Burch's three Rs) to reduce ethical costs of experiments can be made an everyday reality. With this new authority for Animal Care and Use Committees, and a mandate for broader representation in membership, the revised NIH policy should bring improvements. Proposals are currently being considered by the U.S. Congress to strengthen the Animal Welfare Act. This law is in need of revision since about 90% of the laboratory animals are currently excluded from its coverage. The Scientists Center for Animal Welfare has been active in identifying ways in which national policies can be strengthened. In particular, focus has been made on meaningful protocol review by institutional oversight committees. Some recommendations for effective oversight committees based on recent workshops conducted by the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare are described.
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