The evolving response by emergency veterinary hospitals during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Wayne, Annie; Rozanski, Elizabeth A.

doi:10.1111/vec.12995

Cited by 14 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nonetheless, most hospitals had not made changes to operations or staff to accommodate these increases. Additionally, as our findings suggest, the impact of increased workload was exacerbated by staff shortages, including those associated with COVID-19 infection, potential exposure or other COVID-related absences (23,48). In health care settings, inefficiency in workflow adaptation negatively impacts both quality of care and patient safety, while also eroding team cohesion and leading to moral stress of team members (49).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…In addition, increased workload may lead to or exacerbate cognitive fatigue. Consecutive online surveys of 24-h small animal emergency veterinary hospitals in the US found that most reported caseload increases of at least 10%, with 44% reporting increases of at least 25% (48). Nonetheless, most hospitals had not made changes to operations or staff to accommodate these increases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The length of the survey may have discouraged potential respondents. Indeed, many who did take the time to complete the survey indicated that they were time-poor and overworked, and the pandemic has been associated with increased rates of burnout among veterinary team members in some contexts (48). A shorter survey may have captured a greater breadth of responses.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Frequency, Stressfulness and Type of Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ethically challenging situations (ECS) are common in veterinary settings and can lead to moral stress. However, there is no published information about how a global pandemic affects the frequency and types of ECS encountered by veterinary team members. An online mixed methods survey was developed to determine the frequency, stressfulness and types of ECS experienced by veterinarians, animal health technicians and veterinary nurses since the advent of the global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Responses from 540 veterinary team members from 22 countries were analyzed. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the median frequency of ECS encountered by respondents increased from several times per month to several times per week (Spearman Rank Correlation 0.619, P < 0.0001). The most common ECS (encountered at least several times per week) were: challenging decisions about how to proceed when clients have limited finances (64.4%), conflict between personal well-being and professional role (64.3%), conflict between the interests of clients and the interests of their animals (59.6%). These were followed by challenging decisions about what counts as an essential veterinary service (48.1%); conflict between well-being of family/household members and professional role (46.3%); and challenging decisions about whether to perform non-contact veterinary visits (46.3%). The most stressful ECS (reported to be very or maximally stressful) were: conflicts between the interests of clients and the interests of their animals (50.2%), other (42.9%), conflicts between the interests of my employer and my own interests (42.5%), challenging decisions about how to proceed when clients have limited finances (39.4%), conflict between personal well-being and professional role (38.0%), and conflict between well-being of family/household members and professional role (33.6%). Thematic analysis of free-text responses revealed biosecurity, client financial limitations, animal welfare, working conditions, and client relations as prominent themes. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first study to describe the impacts of the pandemic on ECS experienced by veterinary teams globally. It identifies an increase in the frequency of ECS associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and a number of stressors unique to the pandemic. We identified a number of resources and strategies that may help veterinary team members navigate ethical challenges that may emerge in their daily work, as well as in the context of global crises.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Frequency, Stressfulness and Type of Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The total number of responses to the survey was 4,105. At the time of this survey, most participants reported restrictions in their city at the level of "all non-essential stores/businesses closed and ordered/strongly recommended to stay at home" (3,197, 77.9%) followed by "all non-essential stores/businesses closed but no order to stay at home" (724, 17.5%). A small number reported "some stores/businesses closed" (151, 3.7%) or "no restrictions" (17, 0.4%) or "other" (1, 0.4%).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another recent survey assessed how emergency veterinary hospitals were responding to COVID-19 (3). Even with the CDC's suggestions regarding procedural strategies (2), this study found significant variation in how veterinary hospitals interpreted and implemented these suggested policies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

The Initial Months of COVID-19: Dog Owners' Veterinary-Related Concerns

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Veterinarians, like many other professions, were significantly impacted by the onset of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. Standard practices were disrupted, and veterinary hospitals had to quickly modify standard protocols to safely serve their clients and patients. The purpose of this study was to better understand dog owners' fears and concerns pertaining to veterinary care and obtainment of pet care products and food during the lock down phase of a pandemic to be better prepared to address these concerns now and in the future. To this end, an online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey was designed and distributed to adult dog owners via social media. The results, from a total of 4,105 participants (the majority from the United States and Canada), indicated substantial areas of concern. The number one concern of dog owners during this time was the availability of emergency veterinary care. Owners under 30 years of age, compared to older owners, were significantly more concerned about both availability and cost of veterinary care (emergency and non-emergency). The ability to care for one's dog if they were to become ill was a concern for many owners, yet only 60% had identified a caretaker for their dog if one was needed. These results suggest that the majority of dog owners remained true steadfast guardians of their dogs, continuing to make them a priority, even during pandemic times. Suggestions to help mitigate dog owners' concerns and improve communication between owners and veterinarian teams are offered.

show abstract

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes of dogs and cats at a veterinary teaching hospital before and after publication of the RECOVER guidelines

Dazio

Gay

Hoehne

2022

J of Small Animal Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To describe and compare cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes at a Swiss veterinary teaching hospital before and after publication of the Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation guidelines. Materials and MethOds: Between 2018 and 2020, hospital staff underwent various types of yearly Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation trainings. Canine and feline cardiopulmonary resuscitation events during that period (post-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation) and between 2010 and 2012 (pre-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation) were identified and animal, arrest and outcome variables recorded retrospectively. Factors associated with return of spontaneous circulation were determined using multivariable logistic regression, odds ratios (95% confidence interval) generated, and significance set at P < 0.05. results: Eighty-one animals were included in the pre-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation group and 190 in the post-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation group. Twentythree percent in the pre-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation group and 28% in the post-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation group achieved return of spontaneous circulation and 1% and 4% survived to hospital discharge, respectively. Patients undergoing anaesthesia [odds ratio 4.26 (1.76 to 10.27)], elective [odds ratio 5.16 (1.06 to 25.02)] or emergent surgery [odds ratio 3.09 (1.20 to 8.00)], or experiencing cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) due to arrhythmias [odds ratio 4.31 (1.44 to 12.93)] had higher odds of return of spontaneous circulation, while those with unknown cause of CPA [odds ratio 0.25 (0.08 to 0.78)] had lower odds. Undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the post-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation period was not statistically significantly associated with return of spontaneous circulation [odds ratio 1.38 (0.68 to 2.79)]. clinical significance: Unchanged odds of return of spontaneous circulation in the post-Reassessment Campaign on Veterinary Resuscitation period could suggest that once-yearly cardiopulmonary resuscitation training is insufficient, effects of animal and tertiary referral hospital variables confounded

show abstract

The evolving response by emergency veterinary hospitals during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Cited by 14 publications

References 1 publication

Frequency, Stressfulness and Type of Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Frequency, Stressfulness and Type of Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Initial Months of COVID-19: Dog Owners' Veterinary-Related Concerns

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes of dogs and cats at a veterinary teaching hospital before and after publication of the RECOVER guidelines

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About