Prevalence of occupational exposures and protective practices in Australian female veterinarians

OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of exposure to potentially harmful occupational hazards in Australian female veterinarians and to report factors associated with prevalence of occupational hazards in this profession. DESIGN: National cross-sectional survey of a cohort population. PROCEDURE: A self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 5748 veterinarians (males and females) graduating from Australian veterinary schools from 1960 to 2000. This paper reports the prevalence of occupational exposures in 1197 female veterinarians in their current job including radiation, anaesthetic gases, pesticides and long working hours. Comparisons were undertaken between respondents by practice type and decades of graduation. Multivariate logistic regression was undertaken to predict the risk for exposure to occupational hazards in female veterinarians by age, type of practice, graduation year and number of hours worked. RESULTS: The response rate for females was 59%. We found that age under 30 years, small and mixed animal practice, graduation year after 1990, and working more than 45 hours per week were all associated with greater exposure to putative risk factors. Mixed animal practitioners worked more than 45 hours per week (53%) and reported the highest exposure to anaesthetic gases (94%) and pesticides (54%). Twenty two percent of those who were exposed to anaesthetic gases did not have waste anaesthetic gas scavenging systems. Small animal practitioners reported they took more X-rays (90%). While taking X-rays, 56% of respondents reported physically restraining animals, and only one in five of respondents used film holders and lead screens. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of potentially harmful exposures among female veterinarians and lack of use of protective equipment at work needs to be considered in developing and planning the safety of veterinary work.     

Initial work experiences of veterinarians who graduated from Australian universities in 2005

Objective To describe the location, type, support from and effects of their first position for the veterinary graduates of 2005, and to make comparisons with graduates of 1950-2000. Procedure Questionnaires were sent to veterinarians who had graduated from an Australian university in 2005, and data were analysed with SAS System 8 for Windows. Results One-sixth of the graduates left for overseas, and 55% (Murdoch) to 85% (Melbourne) of the remainder found their first veterinary position in the state where they were trained. More were in small animal (48%) and less in mixed practice (48%) than in previous decades, and they spent more time (79%) with dogs and cats, and less with horses (9%), cattle (8%) and other production animals (1%). The median income of males working full-time was $43,000 and $39,000 for equivalent females. Most were satisfied with the help and support received from their boss and workplace; approximately 20% felt that support was inadequate, and many felt overworked and underpaid. The graduates with inadequate support were more likely to suffer stress and were less likely to have enjoyed their first year or to agree that they would become a veterinarian again. The levels of perceived support, and of stress, were similar to those reported by graduates of 2000, though more favourable than in the previous 2 decades. Conclusions Graduates of 2005 were less likely than their predecessors to start in mixed practice or to work with cattle and horses. Most felt poorly paid, but most, though not all, felt well supported in their first position. Aust Vet J 2008;86:357-364.     

Number, distribution and concentration of Australian veterinarians in 2006, compared with 1981, 1991 and 2001

OBJECTIVE: To determine the number, concentration and distribution of veterinarians working in Australia in 2006, and compare with data from 1981, 1991 and 2001. Procedure Data on each veterinarian who was registered, resident and apparently working in each Australian state and territory were obtained from relevant veterinary board lists, entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analysed with SAS System for Windows 8. Other data were obtained from the Official Australian Postcode Map, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. RESULTS: A total of 7510 veterinarians, of whom 46% were female, were working in Australia in 2006. The rate of increase (230/year) between 2001 and 2006 was greater than for the previous 20 years. The number per million people (360) was 73% higher than in 1981, and more than 30% higher than in the USA and UK. With the establishment of three new veterinary schools the number of graduates, and the total number of veterinarians, will increase further. By 2011 the number of veterinarians is likely to be three-fold greater, and the number per million people two-fold greater than in 1981. The number of veterinarians per million dogs and cats will increase at a greater rate if dog and cat numbers continue to fall. As more than 75% of Australian veterinary work involves dogs and cats this has serious implications for the profession. CONCLUSIONS: Progressively increasing numbers of veterinarians will compete for a constant or diminishing resource--the dogs and cats of Australia. It seems likely that overt signs of oversupply will appear before sufficient numbers of veterinarians enter alternative forms of employment.     

Workplace stress, mental health, and burnout of veterinarians in Australia

Objective To determine the frequency of the states of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout using internationally validated methods and to relate these to the demographic characteristics of veterinarians in Australia. Methods A postal survey of registered veterinarians with at least one year's experience and whose address was available; 1947 returned the questionnaire providing data for analysis. Results Overall, veterinarians describe higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout than the general population. The severity of these states was determined by gender, background, type of practice and years after graduation. Conclusions Modifying the curricula of veterinary schools to include the teaching of personal cognitive and coping skills to undergraduate veterinary students, the provision of the opportunity to enhance these skills throughout their veterinary career and changes in the veterinary workplace could result in improved mental health, increased job engagement and work satisfaction.     

Current attitudes to,and use of,peri-operative analgesia in dogs and cats by veterinarians in New Zealand

AIM: To investigate the attitudes of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand to pain and analgesia, and their use of analgesic drugs, in dogs and cats.

METHODS: A questionnaire posted to 1,200 practising veterinarians was used to gather information about the use of analgesia in dogs and cats, assessment of pain, attitudes to pain relief, analgesic drugs and procedures used, factors affecting choice of analgesic agent, and veterinary demographics, continuing education and staffing.

RESULTS: Three hundred and twenty questionnaires with useable data were returned, a response rate of 28%. Male and female veterinarians were evenly represented. The analgesic agents most commonly used were morphine (opioids) and carprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; NSAID). Use of peri-operative pain relief ranged from 50% for castration of cats to 91% for fracture repair in dogs. For most procedures, female veterinarians scored pain at a significantly higher level than their male colleagues. Fifty-eight percent of respondents considered their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was adequate.

CONCLUSIONS: This survey was considered representative of veterinarians working in companion animal practice in New Zealand. Results indicated a relatively high use of peri-operative analgesia, including both pre-emptive and multi-modal analge- sia, in cats and dogs, although there was still some disparity between the perception of how painful a procedure was and the consequent use of pain relief.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The establishment of current attitudes and practices indicates to practising veterinarians how their own use of analgesics compares with that of their colleagues. It also provides information to educators on potential areas of focus, given that 42% of respondents felt their knowledge in the area of assessment and treatment of pain was inadequate.     

An exploratory study to investigate animal health and reproductive wastage among Australian meat goat producers

The Australian goat meat industry has grown significantly in the last decade, with the value of exports nearly tripling. However, because carcase weight has remained constant over this time, the drivers of industry growth are price and supply. Animal health and reproduction are key factors contributing to supply and productivity, yet limitations to production management are poorly understood, hampering advice for effective intervention. This exploratory study aims to provide insights into the animal health and reproductive management practices and perceptions among meat goat producers in Australia. To achieve this aim, 20 producers, located in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria, operating under different production systems were interviewed. The results of this study suggest that animal health management could be improved and that producers perceive a lack of relevant and species-specific information available to help them make informed decisions. Reproductive management and records varied greatly across producers interviewed. Kid loss was identified as an issue, with a 28% estimated average (6%–47% range) of losses from kidding until weaning. Producers identified predation, doe nutrition and mismothering as the biggest contributors to kid loss, with the majority of losses occurring within a week of birth. All producers believed management could minimise kid loss. This study highlights the importance of improving reproductive rates among goat enterprises and provides new information on the current practices within the Australian meat goat industry. This may assist the development of appropriate strategies for improving health and reproductive management and delivery of advice to producers.     

Workplace bullying and relationships with health and performance among a sample of New Zealand veterinarians

AIM: To examine the relationships between workplace bullying, destructive leadership and team conflict, and physical health, strain, self-reported performance and intentions to quit among veterinarians in New Zealand, and how these relationships could be moderated by psychological capital and perceived organisational support.

METHODS: Data were collected by means of an online survey, distributed to members of the New Zealand Veterinary Association. Participation was voluntary and all responses were anonymous and confidential. Scores for the variables measured were based on responses to questions or statements with responses categorised on a linear scale. A series of regression analyses were used to assess mediation or moderation by intermediate variables on the relationships between predictor variables and dependent variables.

RESULTS: Completed surveys were provided by 197 veterinarians, of which 32 (16.2%) had been bullied at work, i.e. they had experienced two or more negative acts at least weekly over the previous 6 months, and nine (4.6%) had experienced cyber-bullying. Mean scores for workplace bullying were higher for female than male respondents, and for non-managers than managers (p<0.01). Scores for workplace bullying were positively associated with scores for destructive leadership and team conflict, physical health, strain, and intentions to quit (p<0.001). Workplace bullying and team conflict mediated the relationship between destructive leadership and strain, physical health and intentions to quit. Perceived organisational support moderated the effects of workplace bullying on strain and self-reported job performance (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Relatively high rates of negative behaviour were reported by veterinarians in this study, with 16% of participants meeting an established criterion for having been bullied. The negative effects of destructive leadership on strain, physical health and intentions to quit were mediated by team conflict and workplace bullying. It should be noted that the findings of this study were based on a survey of self-selected participants and the findings may not represent the wider population of New Zealand veterinarians.     

The marketing of herd health and production management services on Dutch dairy farms: perceptions of dairy farmers and their veterinary surgeons

A questionnaire-based survey on veterinary herd health and production management services was conducted on 194 specialist dairy veterinarians and 466 dairy farmers. The farmers were randomly selected from greater than 6,000 farmer clients of the surveyed veterinarians. This paper reports these survey findings and the findings of an earlier survey conducted among the veterinarians. The survey included questions on the attributes of the service itself, the practitioners delivering the service, reasons for participation and the expected future of herd health and production management services. Reasons farmers participated in herd health and production management programmes included; access to routine screening of their herd; increasing profits; and receiving regular veterinary advice or solutions to remedy existing problems. Advantages of participation named included: good management support; higher profits; structural solutions to problems; and being better informed. Differences between farming styles were observed, pointing to the different needs and goals of farming styles. Farmers cited high costs and the time investment required as major disadvantages. The proportion of farmers citing these reasons was lower than expected by the veterinarians. In the future, preventive healthcare will be the main reason of farmers to participate. Farmers who are not using the service can potentially be encouraged to engage the services after gaining increased insight into the herd health and management service structure, the planning of activities, the cost-benefit of the service, veterinary surgeons being more co-operative with other farm advisors and veterinarians being more willing to pay attention to quality issues on the dairy farm.     

Using open-access taxonomic and spatial information to create a comprehensive database for the study of Mammalian and avian livestock and pet infections

What are all the species of pathogen that affect our livestock? As 6 out of every 10 human pathogens came from animals, with a good number from livestock and pets, it seems likely that the majority that emerge in the future, and which could threaten or devastate human health, will come from animals. Only 10 years ago, the first comprehensive pathogen list was compiled for humans; we still have no equivalent for animals. Here we describe the creation of a novel pathogen database, and present outputs from the database that demonstrate its value.     

A survey of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Part 2: Clinical signs and owners' perceptions of health and welfare

Objective To describe the prevalence and risk factors for clinical signs of disease and owner-reported health or welfare issues of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Methods Owners of horses were contacted via an equestrian organisation in Queensland and asked to complete a questionnaire about their horses aged 15 years and older, to gain information about clinical signs observed in the horse and disease history. Owners were asked to identify health or welfare issues they felt were important in aged horses. Results Owners were able to identify many clinical signs of disease, with 83% of horses having at least one reported clinical sign of disease. Muscle stiffness (33%), lameness (28%), ocular discharge (22%), change in hair coat (22%) and skin problems (21%) were the most commonly reported signs. Increasing age was a risk factor for the presence of clinical signs of disease. Ponies had an increased risk of both laminitis and hirsutism, whereas Thoroughbreds had an increased risk of stereotypies, wounds, weight loss and musculoskeletal signs. Owners reported a known disease or disorder in their horses less frequently than the clinical signs of disease. Owners reported weight loss (28%), arthritis/lameness (24%) and teeth/dental care (18%) as the most important health issues, followed by welfare issues (8%). Conclusion Owners demonstrated concern for the health and welfare of their aged horses, but the lack of appropriate recognition of the significance of clinical signs and limited veterinary care suggest a need for increased client communication and veterinarian–client interaction.     

A questionnaire survey of perceptions and preventive measures related to animal health amongst cattle owners of rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

A questionnaire survey of 315 cattle owners from the rural districts of KwaZulu-Natal was carried out. The aim of the survey was to improve our understanding of local farmers' perceptions and practices of animal disease prevention and control and to establish the extent of their relationship with veterinary services. The survey showed that many owners practice preventive measures such as deworming, tick control and vaccination. Traditional medicines were in use by over half the respondents (58.9 %). Diseases are regarded as an important management problem (56.1 %); ticks, worms and diarrhoea dominated the mentioned health problems in cattle. Veterinary services still play an important role and are a frequent source of advice to owners. The findings of the survey and their context are discussed.     

A proposal to leverage high-quality veterinary diagnostic laboratory large data streams for animal health,public health,and One Health

Test data generated by ~60 accredited member laboratories of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) is of exceptional quality. These data are captured by 1 of 13 laboratory information management systems (LIMSs) developed specifically for veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs). Beginning ~2000, the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) developed an electronic messaging system for LIMS to automatically send standardized data streams for 14 select agents to a national repository. This messaging enables the U.S. Department of Agriculture to track and respond to high-consequence animal disease outbreaks such as highly pathogenic avian influenza. Because of the lack of standardized data collection in the LIMSs used at VDLs, there is, to date, no means of summarizing VDL large data streams for multi-state and national animal health studies or for providing near-real-time tracking for hundreds of other important animal diseases in the United States that are detected routinely by VDLs. Further, VDLs are the only state and federal resources that can provide early detection and identification of endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases are estimated to be responsible for 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million deaths worldwide every year. The economic and health impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is self-evident. We review here the history and progress of data management in VDLs and discuss ways of seizing unexplored opportunities to advance data leveraging to better serve animal health, public health, and One Health.     

Prevention of intestinal parasites in a tri‐border area of Latin America: Children perceptions and an integral health education strategy

To investigate knowledge of school‐aged children and their perception on intestinal parasites, and to assess knowledge reconstruction on prevention practices after specific training in the subject. We performed an activity package that included the analysis of children's drawings of intestinal parasites, and information and communication technologies (ITCs) to transfer knowledge about these pathogens and prevention measures. Retrieval learning activities were performed to fixation of general and specific prevention and control measures.Overall, we found that there is a knowledge gap in many aspects of parasite biology and ecology, and therefore on the risk of infection and acquisition mechanisms. After ITCs, the children improved their knowledge over non‐trained children.The approaches used to transfer knowledge and for learning, fixation were valuable tools for incorporating changes in misconceptions and in the deep‐rooted habits that favour entero‐parasitic diseases. This has important implications for the specific design of future education materials and campaigns. Understanding of perceptions helps to provide justifications and knowledge to achieve changes in unhealthy habits, and it constitutes the basis for the transformation of many risky practices.     

兽药内服制剂的微生物污染对食品动物健康及兽药临床

为考察兽药中实际存在的微生物对动物健康的影响,对山东省兽药GMP企业生产的粉散剂、颗粒剂产品的微生物污染状况进行抽样调查检测,发现不同的内服给药制剂,其微生物污染水平结果差异显著。在此基础上选择微生物限度严重超标的中药散剂,从中分离细菌、霉菌,拟定不同菌量的污染水平对健康鸡进行饲喂试验。结果表明：试验期间各用菌组试验鸡的精神状况、饮水和采食均未发现异常,试验结束后剖检各用菌液组及空白对照组鸡的心、肝、肾、肠道等,均未发现异常,各组鸡均未出现发病与死亡情况,且各组间增重无显著性差异（P〉0．05）。为进一步考察兽药被微生物污染后对临床疗效的影响,选用微生物限度严重超标的中药散剂鸡康灵微粉,开展对鸡慢性呼吸道病治疗试验,将自然感染鸡随机分为两组,每组1600只,一组鸡服用微生物限度超标的鸡康灵微粉,另一组服用辐射灭菌后的鸡康灵微粉。结果表明：两组治愈率均达90％以上,经x。检验,无显著性差异（P〉0．05）,产蛋率均恢复到90％以上。由上述试验可见,兽药不同内服制剂的微生物污染差异显著,且不同的微生物污染水平对动物健康及兽药临床疗效无显著影响,其相关性有待进一步研究。