Abstract
The creation of animal ethics committees in teaching and research establishes a new ethics in relations with non-human animals. The present article carried out a statistical study of data from 390 research protocols evaluated over eight years by a commission at one Brazilian university, to determine if its actions brought about a reduction in suffering and a proportional decrease in the practice of euthanasia. A statistical significance study was carried out using an extension of the Wilcoxon test, seeking to verify a long-term trend of protection procedures, such as lower predicted levels of stress and pain in protocols, more frequent use of anesthesia and sedatives and a reduction in euthanasia. The results were statistically significant for all three of these items, suggesting a concrete effect of animal protection. The method used is proposed as a form of evaluating the use of these procedures by commissions.
Ethical review; Bioethics; Animal experimentation; Euthanasia, animal
Propcirurg: proportion of animals submitted to surgery; Propor: proportion of animals that are predicted to feel pain; Propeut: proportion of animals that are predicted to be induced to euthanasia; Propstress: proportion of animals that are predicted to feel distress; Propanest: proportion of animals that are predicted to go under anaesthesia.
