Veterinarians' role for pet owners facing pet loss

Fernandez-Mehler, P.; Gloor, P.-A.; Sager, E. M.; Lewis, Flower; Glaus, Toni M

doi:10.1136/vr.101154

Cited by 47 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…A series of 15 statements were developed by the researchers, based on previous research literature, asking how equipped by their training veterinarians felt they were to deal with grieving clients of companion animals, their perceptions of grieving clients, as well as broader issues around management. These statements were rated on a 5‐point Likert scale from strongly agree (1) to strongly disagree (5) (Supplementary Table 2).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fernandez‐Mehler and colleagues found that one‐third of companion animal owners considered the veterinarian an important support in the process of mourning. It has been argued that the relationship between client and veterinarian can affect how a client copes with the loss of a pet .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has identified numerous aspects of workplace stress in the veterinary profession, including long working hours, time restraints, demanding clients, discussing finances with clients, delivering bad news, ethical and moral stress, poor work–life balance, perfectionism, exposure to euthanasia, animal abuse and the transition from university to practice . The rise in status of companion animals in contemporary society may be a contributing factor to work‐related stress in the veterinary profession, with thge increased demand and expectations from owners . Age and gender are other factors that have been statistically associated with workplace stress in the veterinary profession, with younger veterinarians (< 35 years old) and women at a relatively early stage in their career more likely to report higher stress levels than their male counterparts …”

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confidence: 99%

“…A unique aspect of the veterinary profession that distinguishes it from other professions is the constant exposure to death (most often through euthanasia) and the grief of bereaved owners . This is a frequently reported stress in the veterinary profession, which places significant emotional demand on the veterinarian, whose task is to console and communicate with grieving clients who may be deeply distressed .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Impact of dealing with bereaved clients on the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians

et al. 2019

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Background Research has identified that members of the veterinary profession are at high risk of occupational stress, burnout, poor psychological wellbeing and an elevated rate of suicide. Although scholarly interest in veterinarians has increased in recent years, relatively few studies have specifically examined the emotional work in veterinary interactions and what effect dealing with companion animal owners' grief has on the wellbeing of veterinarians. The purpose of this study was to determine if dealing with bereaved clients affected the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians. The concept of compassion fatigue was explored, including whether veterinarians believed that their training had equipped them for communicating with grieving clients. Methods Veterinary surgeons registered in South Australia in 2015 were invited to complete an online survey, with 105 participants responding. Results Many participants, particularly female and younger veterinarians, were experiencing mild to severe psychological distress and nearly half of the sample was experiencing high to very high levels of compassion fatigue. No participants reported seeking psychological or other professional mental health support and the majority had not referred a grieving client to a psychologist or other mental health professional. A significant proportion of veterinarians felt their own mental health was affected by dealing with clients grieving the loss of a companion animal. Discussion The findings are discussed in terms of increasing the wellbeing of veterinarians through improved curriculum training and workplace health promotion, particularly considering the high suicide rate reported for the profession.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Impact of dealing with bereaved clients on the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians

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“…Given that each veterinarian will conduct, on average, nearly eight euthanasia procedures per month, 33. along with reports that one third of clients talk to their vets about the loss of their animals, 35. highlights the need for effective communication skills in this domain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative study to explore communication skills in veterinary medical education

2014

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Objectives:To explore and gain an understanding of what “clinical communication skills” mean to veterinarians working in private practice and what implications this might have for veterinary medical education.Methods:Qualitative research methods were used to purposefully sample a range of veterinary practitioners from a pool of South Australian veterinary practices who were interviewed to determine their understanding of what communication skills mean in the context of veterinary practice. Interviews were conducted with fourteen veterinary practitioners. Participants were sampled from a range of ages, veterinary schools of graduation plus urban and rural locations. Interview transcripts were analysed for themes, definitions and contexts.Results:Participants’ accounts included a number of skills which they considered to be “communication”. Some of the definitions of these skills parallel communication skills and competencies for human medicine on which communication skills training incorporated into veterinary curricula to date have largely been based. However, the veterinarians in this study also raised interesting contextual differences unique to the veterinary profession, such as communication with the animal, selling service, discussing money in relation to decisions for care, and communicating about euthanasia.Conclusions:Veterinary practitioners require high level communication skills. Education and training in veterinary medicine may be better tailored to reflect the unique context of the veterinary profession.

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2018

Veterinary Epidemiology

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Veterinarians' role for pet owners facing pet loss

Cited by 47 publications

References 16 publications

Impact of dealing with bereaved clients on the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians

Impact of dealing with bereaved clients on the psychological wellbeing of veterinarians

A qualitative study to explore communication skills in veterinary medical education

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