{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T08:18:31Z","timestamp":1788337111265,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,30]],"date-time":"2026-08-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788048000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Lab Anim"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Refinements to improve the lives of animals used in science are generally endorsed by research institutions and regulatory bodies, but laboratory animal professionals face many barriers in implementing refinements. We sought to understand 1) attitudes and perceptions of barriers and solutions, and 2) how implementation of refinement may be influenced by norms and perceived behavioural control. We conducted three focus groups with 32 attendees at a Canadian laboratory animal science symposium, using semi-structured, open-ended questions. Five themes emerged: evidence and impact on research outcomes, regulatory oversight, operational limitations, institutional culture, and responsibility. Each of these themes was seen as influencing individual capacity to implement refinements. Overall, participants expressed positive attitudes towards refinement combined with frustration due to their limited ability to enact change. Barriers included decision-makers being disconnected from animal facility operations, an institutional culture that does not adequately value refinement, lack of time and money, concerns about impacts on data, and resistance to change among colleagues and animal users. Regulations were seen as both a barrier (when decision-makers did not support refinements beyond minimally required practices) and a solution (when refinements were explicitly required). Potential solutions included updates to regulations, assessments from oversight bodies, integration of the 3Rs into funding and grant review processes, greater inclusion of laboratory animal professionals in decision-making, and promotion of refinements during personnel training. Cultivating an institutional culture that prioritises refinement and addressing barriers to the perceived behavioural control of laboratory animal professionals could help to increase refinement uptake.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00236772261476754","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T06:53:43Z","timestamp":1788159223000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Implementing refinements: Attitudes, experiences, barriers, and solutions identified by laboratory animal professionals"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6389-4158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna S.","family":"Ratuski","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9975-8684","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael W.","family":"Brunt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MWB Research Consulting Services, Guelph, ON, Canada"},{"name":"Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Catherine A.","family":"Schuppli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0917-3982","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel M.","family":"Weary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","volume-title":"CCAC guidelines: Rats","author":"Canadian Council on Animal Care","year":"2022","unstructured":"Canadian Council on Animal Care. CCAC guidelines: Rats. Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Council on Animal Care, 2022."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","volume-title":"Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals","author":"National Research Council","year":"2011","unstructured":"National Research Council. Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals. 8th ed. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2011.","edition":"8"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","first-page":"33","article-title":"Directive 2010\/63\/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes","author":"European Parliament and Council of the European Union","year":"2010","unstructured":"European Parliament and Council of the European Union. Directive 2010\/63\/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Off J Eur Union 2010; L276: 33\u201379.","journal-title":"Off J Eur Union"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12040414"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani11030698"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","first-page":"91","volume-title":"Bridging research disciplines to advance animal welfare science: a practical guide","author":"Carroll GA","year":"2021","unstructured":"Carroll GA, Groarke JM, Graham-Wisener L. Human behaviour change models for improving animal welfare. In: Camerlink I (ed.) Bridging research disciplines to advance animal welfare science: a practical guide. Wallingford: CABI, 2021, pp.91\u2013106."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0749-5978(91)90020-T"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","first-page":"43","volume-title":"The scope of social psychology: theory and applications","author":"Ajzen I","year":"2007","unstructured":"Ajzen I, Manstead AS. Changing health-related behaviours: an approach based on the theory of planned behaviour. In: Hewstone M, Schut HAW, De Wit JBF, et al. (eds) The scope of social psychology: theory and applications. 1st ed. Hove: Psychology Press, 2007, pp.43\u201363.","edition":"1"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0288010"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2022.1040572"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0220580"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9121075"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani9121104"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.physbeh.2013.10.019"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0300031"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00236772261436225"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-849880-4.00003-9"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani12060770"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0022478"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_21_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0962728600019795"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_22_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11135-014-0144-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_23_2","first-page":"169","volume-title":"Qualitative evaluation and research methods","author":"Patton MQ","year":"1990","unstructured":"Patton MQ. Purposeful sampling. In: Patton MQ (ed.) Qualitative evaluation and research methods. 2nd ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1990, pp.169\u2013186.","edition":"2"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_24_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1077800413513733"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_25_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/1098-240X(200008)23:4<334::AID-NUR9>3.0.CO;2-G"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_26_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/intqhc\/mzm042"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_27_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1163\/9789004715509_050"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_28_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0298744"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_29_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/02611929221131313"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2020.00114"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ani10122333"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/qshc.2004.011155"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1748-5908-6-42"}],"container-title":["Laboratory Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00236772261476754","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/00236772261476754","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00236772261476754","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,2]],"date-time":"2026-09-02T07:46:53Z","timestamp":1788335213000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00236772261476754"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,30]]},"references-count":32,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/00236772261476754"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00236772261476754","relation":{},"ISSN":["0023-6772","1758-1117"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0023-6772","type":"print"},{"value":"1758-1117","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,30]]},"article-number":"00236772261476754"}}