Investigating common clinical presentations in first opinion small animal consultations using direct observation

Robinson, Natalie; Dean, Rachel; Cobb, Malcolm

doi:10.1136/vr.102751

Cited by 48 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…There are limitations to the application of veterinary clinical records for epidemiological research that have been reported previously [67,68]. In addition to these, it is worth noting that a final specified biomedical diagnosis is not always reached, or potentially even required, for effective clinical management in the primary-care setting [69,70]. A subset of dogs in the overall UK dog population are unregistered with a veterinary practice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016

et al. 2020

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Background: The Chihuahua, the world's smallest dog breed, is a popular breed in the UK today. The VetCompass™ Programme collates de-identified clinical records from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK for epidemiological research. This study aimed to characterise the demography, age at death and common disorders of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care during 2016 in the UK. Results: Chihuahuas comprised 11,647/336,865 (3.46%) dogs under veterinary care during 2016. The annual proportional birth rate for Chihuahuas rose from 1.01% in 2005 to 5.35% in 2016. Median adult bodyweight was 3.4 kg (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.7-4.3, range 0.8-9.8).). Median age was 2.8 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.6-4.9). Median age at death from this young expanding population was 8.2 years (IQR 3.5-12.1). Females (10.2 years) outlived males (6.9 years) (Mann-Whitney U test: P = 0.005). The most common grouped causes of death were heart disease (18.8%, 95%

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016

et al. 2020

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“…2,3 Veterinarians in clinical practice benefit from the knowledge of the most common presenting complaints and diagnoses as it facilitates preparedness to manage the majority of cases seen on a daily basis. 4,5 New graduates are expected to possess certain attributes and competences upon graduation, such as a thorough understanding of current concepts and principles of small animal medicine as well as knowledge about common animal diseases and their treatments. 6 Determining the most frequently observed presenting complaints and diagnoses enables subsequent tailoring of veterinary curricula to prioritise the teaching of the most commonly observed conditions.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…6 Determining the most frequently observed presenting complaints and diagnoses enables subsequent tailoring of veterinary curricula to prioritise the teaching of the most commonly observed conditions. 5,7,8 Quantifying the frequency of presenting complaints and diagnoses can also guide future research to focus on the most commonly encountered disorders. 5,8,9 Previous studies aimed at determining the most common conditions presenting to small animal veterinarians have utilised a variety of methods, each subject to limitations.…”

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confidence: 99%

Incidence of presenting complaints and diagnoses in insured Australian dogs

et al. 2020

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Knowledge of the most common presenting complaints and diagnoses in companion animals is valuable in preparing veterinary students and veterinarians to manage the most frequently observed conditions in clinical practice. Pet insurance databases provide access to large sample populations and have been previously used to describe disease incidence in companion animals. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of presenting complaints and diagnoses in insured Australian dogs through the use of a pet insurance database. Analysis of a de‐identified dataset containing pet insurance claims associated with presenting complaints and diagnoses from 488,472 insured Australian dogs insured in the years 2016 and 2017, was performed. Annual incidence rates of presenting complaints and diagnoses were calculated and expressed as, number of events per 1,000 dog years at risk. The presenting complaints with the highest incidence were vomiting (14.21 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2016, 15.80 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2017) and pruritus (8.79 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2016, 10.30 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2017). Presenting complaints affecting the gastrointestinal system were the most common (19.20 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2016, 20.77 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2017). The diagnoses with the highest incidence were otitis externa (34.12 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2016, 34.82 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2017) and dermatitis (28.05 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2016, 29.99 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2017). Diagnoses affecting the integument were the most common (216.56 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2016, 219.06 events per 1,000 dog years at risk in 2017). The results from this study can aid in the design of relevant veterinary curricula and may be helpful in prioritising research on common clinical conditions.

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“…Ongoing data collection will provide sufficient big data to identify additional associations and risk factors; indeed, the UK VetCompass database has collected data on more than 6 million unique animals in over 470 participating practices (11). Clinical decision-making and identification of research priorities can also be supported by the system, such as ranking of differential diagnoses, vaccine recommendations, directing veterinary education and training, and investigating changes in disease prevalence (12, 13). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence in Practice – A Pilot Study Leveraging Companion Animal and Equine Health Data from Primary Care Veterinary Clinics in New Zealand

Muellner¹,

Muellner²,

Gates

et al. 2016

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Veterinary practitioners have extensive knowledge of animal health from their day-to-day observations of clinical patients. There have been several recent initiatives to capture these data from electronic medical records for use in national surveillance systems and clinical research. In response, an approach to surveillance has been evolving that leverages existing computerized veterinary practice management systems to capture animal health data recorded by veterinarians. Work in the United Kingdom within the VetCompass program utilizes routinely recorded clinical data with the addition of further standardized fields. The current study describes a prototype system that was developed based on this approach. In a 4-week pilot study in New Zealand, clinical data on presentation reasons and diagnoses from a total of 344 patient consults were extracted from two veterinary clinics into a dedicated database and analyzed at the population level. New Zealand companion animal and equine veterinary practitioners were engaged to test the feasibility of this national practice-based health information and data system. Strategies to ensure continued engagement and submission of quality data by participating veterinarians were identified, as were important considerations for transitioning the pilot program to a sustainable large-scale and multi-species surveillance system that has the capacity to securely manage big data. The results further emphasized the need for a high degree of usability and smart interface design to make such a system work effectively in practice. The geospatial integration of data from multiple clinical practices into a common operating picture can be used to establish the baseline incidence of disease in New Zealand companion animal and equine populations, detect unusual trends that may indicate an emerging disease threat or welfare issue, improve the management of endemic and exotic infectious diseases, and support research activities. This pilot project is an important step toward developing a national surveillance system for companion animals and equines that moves beyond emerging infectious disease detection to provide important animal health information that can be used by a wide range of stakeholder groups, including participating veterinary practices.

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Investigating common clinical presentations in first opinion small animal consultations using direct observation

Cited by 48 publications

References 11 publications

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016

Incidence of presenting complaints and diagnoses in insured Australian dogs

Evidence in Practice – A Pilot Study Leveraging Companion Animal and Equine Health Data from Primary Care Veterinary Clinics in New Zealand

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