Causes and consequences of psychological stress in the working life and emergency services of veterinary professionals in the Federal Republic of Germany: A protocol for a nationwide cross-sectional study

Background: Veterinarians are exposed to high workloads. International studies show they have an above-average risk of suicide and burnout. Hardly any studies dealing with causes and consequences of workload and emergency services are available in Germany. Methods: The aim of the observational cross-sectional study presented here is to assess their workloads and working conditions (Slesina questionnaire), health situation and well-being (KÖPS questionnaire - physical, psychological and social symptoms; Maslach Burnout Inventory MBI-GS; WHO-5 well-being index), as well as occupational psychological aspects (irritation scales; overcommitment; questionnaire on work-related behavior and experience patterns AVEM) which will be recorded and analyzed according to general sociodemographic and occupational data (sector-, gender, assignment- and country-specific). In addition, the heart rate variability of some members of the veterinary profession will be analyzed using 24 hour electrocardiogram recordings, which together with the subjective insights into the stress situation from the questionnaires, will allow objective psychophysiological stress analyses. Conclusions: The results of the study will provide further empirical insights into the workloads and stresses faced by the veterinary profession in Germany, based on which important insights into this professional group’s mental health can be identified. In this way, it should be possible to identify (mis)stress-triggering factors in the target groups, derive target group-specific recommendations for health-promoting work design, and identify approaches to veterinary studies and career selection.

Exploring how veterinary professionals perceive and use grief support resources to support companion animal caregivers in Ontario, Canada

Objective: The aim of this study was to qualitatively explore veterinary professionals’ use and perceptions of grief resources and services to support companion animal caregivers following companion animal euthanasia. Background: The loss of a companion animal can be a source of great sorrow and grief. Like human loss, many companion animal caregivers may seek out and benefit from grief resources, of which veterinary professionals are often important providers. Yet, little is known about how, when or for what reasons veterinary professionals provide these resources. Methods: A qualitative study consisting of group and individual interviews involving 38 veterinary professionals and staff from 10 veterinary hospitals in Ontario, Canada was conducted. Verbatim transcripts were evaluated using inductive thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes. Results: Results indicated that typically resources were only provided if a caregiver requested information, or when veterinary professionals recognised that the caregiver may benefit from these resources. To assess a caregiver’s need, participants reported considering their age, the strength of the human-animal bond, their previous and ongoing life circumstances, and their emotional state. Several barriers limiting veterinary professionals’ use of grief resources were also described including perceptions that few adequate resources existed and a lack of knowledge of existing or new resources. Conclusion: Overall, findings suggest that there are substantial opportunities to improve and embed a provision of grief resources within the veterinary profession. There is a need to develop adequate resources to meet caregivers’ supportive needs and implement these resources within the greater veterinary profession.

Two Domains to Five: Advancing Veterinary Duty of Care to Fulfil Public Expectations of Animal Welfare Expertise

Veterinarians are animal health experts. More recently, they have been conferred a leading role as experts in animal welfare. This expectation of veterinarians as welfare experts appears to stem from their training in veterinary medicine as well as professional contributions to welfare-relevant policy and law. Veterinarians are ideally situated to act as animal welfare experts by virtue of their core work with animals and potential influence over owners, their roles in policy development, compliance, and monitoring, and as educators of future veterinarians. However, since its inception as a discipline over 70 years ago, animal welfare science has moved beyond a two-dimensional focus on nutrition and health (biological functioning) towards an understanding that the mental experiences of animals are the focus of welfare consideration. The Five Domains Model is a structured and systematic framework for more holistically considering conditions that contribute to the animal’s internal state and its perception of its external situation, and the resultant mental experiences. The Model can be used to better align veterinary animal welfare expertise with contemporary understanding of animal welfare science and improve welfare literacy within the veterinary profession. Improved understanding of animal welfare science is likely to lead to increased confidence, competence, and empowerment to act as experts in their daily lives.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic During Lockdown on the Veterinary Profession in Romania: A Questionnaire-Based Survey

The lockdown period in Romania lasted for 60 days and had the purpose of limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak and manage its consequences through emergency measures on many important areas of activity. This study aimed to gather, assess, analyze and disseminate relevant social, economic, and medical aspects on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic during lockdown on the veterinary profession in Romania. A survey was created using an online questionnaire platform, and disseminated. The survey was completed by a total of 409 individuals. A high number of respondents (71.64%; n = 293) felt exposed to medium or high risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 at their workplace and many (56.97%; n = 233) felt that their professional environment was more stressful than usual during lockdown. Almost all respondents (89.73%; n = 367) declared the implementation of several control measures recommended by FECAVA and FVE (e.g., social distancing, wearing protective equipment, hand washing), but few mentioned the opportunity of remote work or visiting restrictions. Overall, the results show that the impact of lockdown lies directly on four main categories of importance on veterinarian professional's life—human resource, activity management, relationship between veterinarian and authorities, and continuing education.

Brief Research Report: Veterinary Student Perspective on COVID-19 and Veterinary Medicine

COVID-19 has had significant effects on the field of veterinary medicine. Adaptation to pandemic-related and post-pandemic challenges requires engagement from all levels of the professional pipeline, including veterinary college students. Insights gained from this group may inform curriculum design, help the veterinary profession innovate, maximize opportunities for positive change, and avoid negative outcomes. The current study aimed to understand the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on veterinary medicine, as foreseen by second-year veterinary students in an online discussion during a public health course in the spring of 2020. Twenty-one percent of the 113 students agreed to participate in this qualitative research study. We used an inductive coding process and distilled the student responses into descriptive themes to capture diverse perspectives and understand possible post-pandemic pathways for the veterinary profession. Four themes emerged from the student discussion posts, describing how veterinarians might be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) economic and social impacts, (2) adapting to challenges, (3) collaborations to improve public health, and (4) disparities and diversity. These themes are a starting point for discussion and innovation as veterinarians plan for the post-pandemic world; further investigation will provide additional guidance for veterinary leaders.

Contribution of veterinary profession to the response to COVID-19 pandemic conveyed through experiences of the Veterinary Faculty Sarajevo

The International Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), from the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, promoted One Health in global and national responses. The OIE accentuated the role of the veterinary profession due to testing capacity of animal health laboratories and expertise. Veterinary Faculty Sarajevo through its Veterinary Institute participates in the national veterinary service with diagnostic and advisory roles. It has proactively enhanced the scope and quality of laboratories, including strengthening the interdisciplinarity and internationality. Development achieved through earlier pandemic threats resulted in having laboratory and technical facilities for molecular SARS-CoV-2 detection in the wake of the unveiling COVID-19 pandemic (early 2020). From confirmation of the first COVID-19 cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), our staff participated in crisis response teams and, so far, held over sixty media addresses promoting public awareness and science based information. Our laboratories were included in the official detection system and were the first to sequence SARS-CoV-2, then to establish the Alpha COVID-19 variant in BiH human samples and to substantiate one-way virus transmission from humans to pets. The aim of this paper is to describe our activities as a participant in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside faced challenges and gained experiences.

Treating clinical mastitis in dairy herds: a role for on farm culture?

The focus on the rational use of antibiotics in dairy herds has meant that mastitis control has received renewed interest, particularly around prevention of new infections and alternative treatment strategies. The former has seen the development of a new industry initiative (QuarterPRO) to help advisors and farmers reduce the rate of new infections and index cases. The latter has seen widespread uptake of the selective use of intramammary antibiotic for infected cows at drying-off, a reminder to the veterinary profession as well as clients about the general lack of evidence for the use of parenteral antibiotic in combination with intramammary antibiotic for mild and moderate clinical mastitis events, and finally the potential to select intramammary antibiotic treatment for clinical mastitis using on farm culture (OFC). It is important that veterinary surgeons are aware of the research around the development and use of OFC and the suitability of individual herds for this approach. Whereas antibiotics may not be required for mild clinical mastitis events caused by some pathogens, particularly Escherichia coli, it is important that clinical mastitis events (particularly first cases in a lactation cycle) caused by Gram-positive pathogens such as Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus are treated with intramammary antibiotic to optimise chance of cure and reduce risk of transmission. With this in mind, we need to consider individual herd cell count data, herd pathogen profile and ensure careful monitoring of outcomes for clinical mastitis cases in herds that are selecting treatment based on OFC, particularly for index (first) cases in a cow's lactation.

Advances in techniques for health monitoring/disease detection in dairy cattle

Livestock production has been characterized by the intensification and specialization of production leading to larger farms and, hence, to fewer farmers per animal. Thus, the animal-to-stockman ratio is increasing and the available time for monitoring an individual animal is reducing. In the same time period, the focus in the veterinary profession has shifted from treatment of acutely diseased animals to more proactive management, which includes the use of epidemiological tools to identify risk factors for animal health, welfare and production. As part of a modern herd management, reliable data on animal health are provided e.g. by routine and standardized testing of animals for the presence of disease. For this, traditional and increasingly sophisticated diagnostic tools are available. Recently, farmers have increasingly been using sensor technologies, allowing continuous and automated health monitoring of livestock. This aims in establishing an early warning system to optimize herd health management and fostering decision making.