Research Animal Anaesthesia Network
The Research Animal Anaesthesia Network (RAAN) exists to promote and support the involvement of veterinary anaesthetists in experimental research involving animals.
It aims to achieve this in the following ways:
- Fostering collaboration between experienced laboratory animal anaesthetists and scientists requiring assistance or advice in animal anaesthesia and analgesia;
- Hosting a discussion forum and mailing list for members of the network to share ideas, experience and information related to veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia in a research context;
- Building a community of veterinarians interested in experimental refinement through anaesthesia and analgesia;
- Facilitating multi-centre research.
RAAN Committee
RAAN is led by an Executive Committee that exists as a subcommittee of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists.
The RAAN Executive Committee maintains a list of veterinarians, with acumen in veterinary anaesthesia in experimental settings, who are willing to provide assistance and advice to researchers. The target group of researchers is primarily those involved in biomedical research but extends to anyone involved in research using animals.
Checklist
RAAN have created a checklist to capture key information from a researcher seeking advice on, or assistance with, anaesthesia and analgesia in experimental animals. The researcher can start filling it out ahead of any meeting and this can then be used as the basis for discussion.
Position Statement
Content on peri-operative care for publications, including animal husbandry, animal preparation, anaesthesia, analgesia, pain assessment and post-procedural monitoring and interventions.
RAAN endorses both the PREPARE (1) and ARRIVE 2.0 (2, 3) guidelines in the promotion of experimental replicability and reproducibility.
Full details of peri-operative animal care within a scientific report are essential to inform readers of all factors likely to influence study results. Furthermore, readers should be able to satisfy themselves that animal care and welfare have been optimised, adverse events identified, and appropriate interventions agreed upon before commencing animal-based research.
Resources:
1) PREPARE
https://norecopa.no/prepare
2) ARRIVE
https://arriveguidelines.org/resources/author-checklists
https://arriveguidelines.org/arrive-guidelines/experimental-procedures/9a/explanation
Examples of content for the methodology section of a publication are provided in the downloadable pdf version of the position statement
Contact RAAN
To enquire about becoming a member of RAAN or if you are a researcher who would like assistance or advice relating to anaesthesia or analgesia of research animals, please email ResAnAnNet@gmail.com