A study on stress-induced by anaesthesia and surgery training using live animals in a veterinary school

Abstract

The veterinary curriculum includes an anaesthesia and surgery course that utilizes live animal laboratories and euthanasia, potentially causing stress in students. We used a validated psychology questionnaire to assess their stress levels, confirming that live animal laboratories induce significant stress. Forty-two fourth year veterinary students, including individuals who identified as male, female and LGBTQ, and who held religious beliefs in Buddhism and Islam, volunteered to participate in the study. The study had received ethical approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee at Prince of Songkla University. After a series of stress questionnaires before and after Veterinary surgery and anaesthesia class, female and Islamic students reported more stress in both carcass and live animal laboratories, while Buddhism students and male students reported less stress, respectively (p<0.05). The live animal laboratory induced more stress and excitement, resulting in shorter sleeping durations on the night before compared to the carcass laboratory. Additionally, tangible stress was reflected in shorter sleeping times on the night before the live animal laboratory compared to the carcass laboratories. Overall, this study provides evidence to improve veterinary education by addressing the stress associated with live animal surgery and anaesthesia training. Future research should expand the study population and investigate the lifelong stress experienced by veterinary surgeons and anaesthesiologists.