From concept to measurement: a scoping review and development of a Culture of Care questionnaire for laboratory animal institutions

Introduction The concept of a Culture of Care has become increasingly prominent in laboratory animal science and is embedded in European legislation. The concept is widely used in policy and practice, but it remains inconsistently defined and is rarely assessed using structured, literature-based measurement tools in the context of laboratory animals. To address this gap, we developed and tested a Culture of Care Barometer for laboratory animal institutions. Methods This study consisted of two phases. First, a scoping review was done following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines to identify recurring themes, assessment approaches and extractable survey content on the Culture of Care in the scientific literature on laboratory animal research. Searches were performed in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. Data were extracted and analyzed descriptively and recurring themes were identified. Second, a questionnaire was developed based on the results of the scoping review and existing validated instruments from human healthcare. After expert review to assess item relevance, clarity and translational accuracy across the Dutch and English version, a 30-item questionnaire was tested in a test-retest study. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients. Results Twenty-one publications were included in the scoping review. Most articles described the Culture of Care at a conceptual level and none used a validated assessment instrument. Nine key themes were identified across the literature, covering legal compliance, a proactive attitude, leadership, resources, empathy, shared responsibility, communication, team support and continuous learning. The 30-item questionnaire showed high internal consistency at test and retest, and test-retest reliability for the total scale was moderately good. Item-level intraclass correlation coefficients varied, partly due to limited variance and ceiling effects. Discussion This study provides a structured overview of how the Culture of Care is described, including recurring thematic domains and methods used to assess it in laboratory animal research, and presents a newly developed questionnaire with preliminary evidence of reliability. Further research is needed to evaluate construct validity, subgroup differences and applicability across settings.