578815 research-article2015
WJNXXX10.1177/0193945915578815Western Journal of Nursing ResearchEditorial
Editorial
Using Animals in Nursing Research: Bridging Gaps Between Bench, Bedside, and Practice
Western Journal of Nursing Research 2015, Vol. 37(12) 1515–1516 © 2015 Sage Publications Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0193945915578815 wjn.sagepub.com
Historically, animals have been used in biomedical research as far back as Aristotle and Galen. I am a nurse scientist who uses an animal model in my research. For decades, nurses have used animal models to investigate research problems about diseases and how they affect health. However, in nursing as a whole, we are still debating the relevance of using animals in nursing research. I am one of a very small number of researchers in my school who use an animal model to study disease processes. Because my work is considered “bench science,” my interaction with doctoral students has been limited to the classroom setting because our faculty have difficulty seeing beyond the human or clinical model of research. A further barrier is that some animal rights activists believe that using animals in research is inhumane. However, scientists who use animals plan experiments using principles that are similar to those that guide human/clinical research. We guard against any suffering by the animal subjects (Animal Welfare Act, 1966). A body similar to the institutional review board (IRB) for human research approves each animal experiment (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). The animal model is vital to the advancement of nursing science, and it belongs in Schools of Nursing. For example, animal models of research are necessary when it is impractical or unethical to use our patients. Some health problems are poorly understood and the associated physiological processes can only be studied first in a whole animal model. Animals make good research subjects. First, animals are biologically similar to humans; thus, they are susceptible to many of the same health problems as humans. For example, there are many similarities in the thermoregulatory responses of both rat and human. Both rats and humans have similar core and skin temperatures. The rat maintains the same body temperature as humans. Like humans, rats are homeotherms, which means they regulate their body temperature. This regulation of temperature is close to the same level (37 °C) as humans. Although rats do not sweat, they rely on evaporative water loss to dissipate heat by grooming saliva to their fur. As with humans, this evaporative process is a
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Western Journal of Nursing Research 37(12)
cholinergic-mediated process. For these reasons, the rat model is an excellent model to study thermoregulation and immune responses. Also, animals make good research subjects because they have short life cycles allowing the scientist to study them throughout their entire life span. And finally, animals serve a great purpose because we do not have to expose human subjects to health risks to observe the course of a disease. I am a PhD-prepared nurse, trained as a basic scientist. My animal research has clarified the benefits and complications that might occur in human subjects and provided me an opportunity to design translational research in a human population. This bench to bedside approach is strengthened by my basic science experience, and for that, I am grateful to every animal that I use in my research. Responding to challenges of using animals in nursing research will require many voices in a sustained effort to advance our discipline. These challenges are urgent and require us to dedicate our time and energy to further advance dialogue among our nursing colleagues regarding the importance of integrating and translating animal research from the bench to the bedside and to practice. Pamela Johnson Rowsey, PhD, RN The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA Reference Animal Welfare Act, 7 U.S.C. § 2131 et seq. (1966).
Downloaded from wjn.sagepub.com by guest on June 4, 2016
WJNXXX10.1177/0193945915578815Western Journal of Nursing ResearchEditorial
Editorial
Using Animals in Nursing Research: Bridging Gaps Between Bench, Bedside, and Practice
Western Journal of Nursing Research 2015, Vol. 37(12) 1515–1516 © 2015 Sage Publications Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0193945915578815 wjn.sagepub.com
Historically, animals have been used in biomedical research as far back as Aristotle and Galen. I am a nurse scientist who uses an animal model in my research. For decades, nurses have used animal models to investigate research problems about diseases and how they affect health. However, in nursing as a whole, we are still debating the relevance of using animals in nursing research. I am one of a very small number of researchers in my school who use an animal model to study disease processes. Because my work is considered “bench science,” my interaction with doctoral students has been limited to the classroom setting because our faculty have difficulty seeing beyond the human or clinical model of research. A further barrier is that some animal rights activists believe that using animals in research is inhumane. However, scientists who use animals plan experiments using principles that are similar to those that guide human/clinical research. We guard against any suffering by the animal subjects (Animal Welfare Act, 1966). A body similar to the institutional review board (IRB) for human research approves each animal experiment (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). The animal model is vital to the advancement of nursing science, and it belongs in Schools of Nursing. For example, animal models of research are necessary when it is impractical or unethical to use our patients. Some health problems are poorly understood and the associated physiological processes can only be studied first in a whole animal model. Animals make good research subjects. First, animals are biologically similar to humans; thus, they are susceptible to many of the same health problems as humans. For example, there are many similarities in the thermoregulatory responses of both rat and human. Both rats and humans have similar core and skin temperatures. The rat maintains the same body temperature as humans. Like humans, rats are homeotherms, which means they regulate their body temperature. This regulation of temperature is close to the same level (37 °C) as humans. Although rats do not sweat, they rely on evaporative water loss to dissipate heat by grooming saliva to their fur. As with humans, this evaporative process is a
Downloaded from wjn.sagepub.com by guest on June 4, 2016
1516
Western Journal of Nursing Research 37(12)
cholinergic-mediated process. For these reasons, the rat model is an excellent model to study thermoregulation and immune responses. Also, animals make good research subjects because they have short life cycles allowing the scientist to study them throughout their entire life span. And finally, animals serve a great purpose because we do not have to expose human subjects to health risks to observe the course of a disease. I am a PhD-prepared nurse, trained as a basic scientist. My animal research has clarified the benefits and complications that might occur in human subjects and provided me an opportunity to design translational research in a human population. This bench to bedside approach is strengthened by my basic science experience, and for that, I am grateful to every animal that I use in my research. Responding to challenges of using animals in nursing research will require many voices in a sustained effort to advance our discipline. These challenges are urgent and require us to dedicate our time and energy to further advance dialogue among our nursing colleagues regarding the importance of integrating and translating animal research from the bench to the bedside and to practice. Pamela Johnson Rowsey, PhD, RN The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA Reference Animal Welfare Act, 7 U.S.C. § 2131 et seq. (1966).
Downloaded from wjn.sagepub.com by guest on June 4, 2016
