Table 4.
Healthcare worker expectations for translation to humans from animal research paid for with public funding
| Statement about an expectation from animal research | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respondent Group | 5-20% | 21-40% | 41-60% | 61-80% | >80% | |
| Drugs tested on animals should correctly predict adverse reactions in humans at least what percent of the time? | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 4/42 (10%) | 9/42 (21%) | 9/42 (21%) | 13/42 (31%) | 7/42 (17%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 3/67 (5%) | 7/67 (10%) | 14/67 (21%) | 18/67 (27%) | 25/67 (37%) | |
| Drugs that work well in animal experiments should prove to work in humans for the same disease at least what percent of the time? | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 5/42 (12%) | 11/42 (26%) | 8/42 (19%) | 14/42 (33%) | 4/42 (10%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 3/67 (5%) | 9/67 (13%) | 10/67 (15%) | 19/67 (28%) | 26/67 (39%) | |
| For an animal research result to be credible, a second laboratory should be able to reproduce the results from the first laboratory at least what percent of the time? | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 0 | 0 | 2/42 (5%) | 8/42 (19%) | 32/42 (76%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 0 | 1/67 (2%) | 4/67 (6%) | 11/67 (16%) | 51/67 (76%) | |
| Drugs tested on animals should correctly predict drugs that cause cancer or birth defects in humans at least what percent of the time? | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 3/42 (7%) | 8/42 (19%) | 5/42 (12%) | 15/42 (36%) | 11/42 (26%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 2/67 (3%) | 5/67 (8%) | 11/67 (16%) | 21/67 (31%) | 28/67 (42%) | |
| Drugs that work well in experiments in one type of animal should prove to work well in another closely related animal (for example, in different types of rats) at least what percent of the time? | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 2/41 (5%) | 2/41 (5%) | 9/41 (22%) | 12/41 (29%) | 16/41 (39%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 0 | 0 | 11/67 (16%) | 19/67 (28%) | 37/67 (55%) | |
| Drugs that work well in animals with stroke, severe infection, cancer, brain or spinal cord injury should work in humans at least what percent of the time?a | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 5/41 (12%) | 12/41 (29%) | 5/41 (12%) | 13/41 (32%) | 6/41 (15%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 4/66 (6%) | 4/66 (6%) | 9/66 (14%) | 23/66 (35%) | 26/66 (39%) | |
| Experiments sometimes find a drug beneficial in animals when it is harmful in humans; and, sometimes find a drug harmful in animals when it is beneficial in humans. These misleading animal experiments should occur at most what percent of the time? | ||||||
| Pediatricians | 24/42 (57%) | 12/42 (29%) | 5/42 (12%) | 1/42 (2%) | 0 | |
| Nurses/RTs | 38/67 (57%) | 19/67 (28%) | 6/67 (9%) | 3/67 (5%) | 1/67 (2%) | |
| Assume drugs studied in animals accurately predict effects in humans less than 20% of the time. If this were true, it would significantly reduce your support for animal research.a | ||||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Uncertain | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | ||
| Pediatricians | 7/42 (17%) | 13/42 (31%) | 5/42 (12%) | 11/42 (26%) | 6/42 (14%) | |
| Nurses/RTs | 40/67 (60%) | 16/67 (24%) | 7/67 (10%) | 2/67 (3%) | 2/67 (3%) | |
aThere was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) difference in response between pediatricians versus nurses/RTs to the two questions: “Drugs that work well in animals with stroke, severe infection, cancer, brain or spinal cord injury should work in humans at least what percent of the time?” and “Assume drugs studied in animals accurately predict effects in humans less than 20% of the time. If this were true, it would significantly reduce your support for animal research.”