E-LEARNING AS A STRATEGY TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS USE IN PHARMACOLOGY

MOURELLE AC; HERRERO ME; ASPREA M; RICCA M

La Habana

Congreso; 20mo Congreso Latinoamericano de Farmacología y Terapéutica 5to Congreso Iberoamericano de Farmacología 5to Congreso Internacional y 11no Congreso Nacional de la Sociedad Cubana de Farmacología; 2013

ASOCIACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA DE FARMACOLOGÍA

E-LEARNING AS A STRATEGY TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS USE IN PHARMACOLOGY Mourelle AC, Herrero ME, Asprea M, Ricca M The use of live animals in teaching at university level is the preferred methodology used to show,different pharmacologic phenomena previously learned in the classes. Nowadays computer and internet are widely accepted tools on education and research, and in the last decades facilitated the development and implementation of new teaching strategies and learning. These new available educational tools, give us the opportunity to implement alternatives to animal use to achieve the educational objectives set for the practical classes. E-learning is defined as the production, distribution and use of electronic content for educational purposes. The aim of this work is to show the contribution of this methodology in the application of the principle of the 3Rs (reduction, replacement and refinement) and how an e-learning program well planned, can be a valuable tool to reduce the number of animals used at university level, not only in pharmacology, but in other subjects that currently use live animals, and at the same time the students could learn the concept of bioethics and respect towards animals. There is a worldwide moral and legal statement that the use of live animals should be restricted only for those procedures where it is strictly necessary to use them, and the countries of Latin America, where there is still a strong need to introduce the concept of the 3 R´s principles, we have to move in that direction. Our experience shows that replacement and reduce of animals as a first approach is possible with this education strategy.