High overcommitment and low reward as potential predictors for increased depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk in German veterinarians.

Higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk have been reported for veterinarians in Germany. In this study, several demographic and job-related factors were examined to determine whether they could be considered possible predictors of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk. For this purpose, a survey was conducted among veterinarians in Germany. The demographic factors surveyed were gender, age, working status (employed/self-employed), income, field of work (practicing/non-practicing veterinarian), weekly working hours and community size. For assessing job-related factors, the Effort-Reward-Imbalance questionnaire (effort, reward, overcommitment), several subscales of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (quantitative demands, emotional demands, demands for hiding emotions, meaning of work, work-privacy-conflict, thoughts of leaving the job) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory were used. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was performed with the demographic and job-related factors as independent variables and depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk as dependent variables, respectively. A total of 3.118 veterinarians (78.8% female) between 22 and 69 years (mean age 41.3 years) were included in the study. The factors used resulted in the highest variance explanation for depressive symptoms (57%), followed by suicidal ideation (34%) and suicide risk (23%). Low reward and high overcommitment were found to be the most important predictors of depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk. Significant relationships with depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk were also found for burnout, demands for hiding emotions, and thoughts of leaving the job. The results of this study point to opportunities for changes in the veterinary working environment, for the development of prevention and intervention programs for veterinarians, and for the further development of the veterinary curriculum to strengthen the mental health of veterinarians in Germany.

[Psychological stress and the need for stress management in veterinary studies]. / Psychische Belastung und die Notwendigkeit von Stressmanagement im Veterinärmedizinstudium.

INTRODUCTION: Veterinary students suffer from increased psychological stress compared to the general public and are increasingly affected by manifest mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders, as well as an increased prevalence of suicidal thoughts. Additionally, veterinary students tend to ignore signs of mental distress and do not seek support for their mental health issues. This impaired mental health is also evident in fully trained veterinarians, who, among other things, have the highest suicide rates of all medical professions. In our survey, we examined a total of 428 veterinary students at the two veterinary faculties of the Universities of Zurich and Bern. The survey was carried out across all six years of the curriculum as a cross-sectional survey using standardized questionnaires on resilience, sense of coherence and depression. In all years, the students showed increased levels of depression compared to the general public, and the salutogenic parameters of resilience and sense of coherence were also reduced. The constellation with increased depression, reduced resilience and reduced sense of coherence was particularly accentuated in the second and third year. The increased affective stress on students presents itself as a consistent condition, which - if you look at studies on fully trained veterinarians - continues into their working life together with a reduced ability to cope. The low number of participants in the higher years of study and the high number of female study participants could limit the generalizability of the results. In addition, the data was collected in spring 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced the results. Active counteracting, for example by integrating the teaching of protective behavior such as mindful self-compassion and resource-oriented behavior such as mind-body techniques, therefore appears to be recommended in the veterinary training curriculum from the first semester onwards. Various measures to support students have been introduced since 2021, such as events on learning strategies, a mentoring system and seminars on mental health.

INTRODUCTION: Les étudiants en médecine vétérinaire souffrent d'un stress psychologique plus important que le grand public et sont de plus en plus touchés par des maladies paychiques manifestes telles que la dépression et les troubles anxieux, ainsi que par une prévalence accrue de pensées suicidaires. En outre, les étudiants en médecine vétérinaire ont tendance à ignorer les signes de détresse mentale et ne cherchent pas de soutien pour leurs problèmes de santé mentale. Cette détérioration de la santé mentale est également évidente chez les vétérinaires formés, qui, entre autres, présentent les taux de suicide les plus élevés de toutes les professions médicales. Dans notre enquête, nous avons examiné un total de 428 étudiants vétérinaires des deux facultés vétérinaires des universités de Zurich et de Berne. L'enquête a été menée sur les six années du cursus sous forme d'enquête transversale à l'aide de questionnaires standardisés sur la résilience, le sentiment de cohérence et la dépression. Pour toutes les années, les étudiants ont montré des niveaux de dépression plus élevés que le grand public, et les paramètres salutogènes de la résilience et du sentiment de cohérence ont également été réduits. La constellation avec une dépression accrue, une résilience réduite et un sentiment de cohérence réduit était particulièrement accentuée en deuxième et troisième année. Le stress affectif accru des étudiants se présente comme un état constant qui, si on examine les études sur les vétérinaires ayant reçu une formation complète, se poursuit dans leur vie professionnelle, accompagné d'une capacité réduite à faire face. Le faible nombre de participants dans les années d'études supérieures et le nombre élevé de participantes à l'étude pourraient limiter la généralisation des résultats. En outre, les données ont été collectées au printemps 2021, pendant la pandémie de COVID-19, ce qui a pu influencer les résultats. La lutte active, par exemple en intégrant l'enseignement d'un comportement protecteur tel que l'autocompassion consciente et d'un comportement orienté vers les ressources tel que les techniques corps-esprit, semble donc être recommandée dans le programme de formation vétérinaire dès le premier semestre. Diverses mesures de soutien aux étudiants ont été introduites depuis 2021, telles que des événements sur les stratégies d'apprentissage, un système de mentorat et des séminaires sur la santé mentale.

Evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Veterinary Professionals and Senior Animal Health Students in Central Gondar Zone, Gondar, Ethiopia: Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a worldwide challenge to the well-being of animals and humans. The emergence of AMR is largely attributed to the improper utilization and overuse of antimicrobials. In order to combat this issue and promote responsible antimicrobial use (AMU), it is imperative for veterinary professionals and graduating students to possess extensive knowledge, maintain positive attitudes, and adhere to good practices regarding AMU and AMR. OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAPs) of veterinary professionals and senior animal health students' towards veterinary AMU and AMR. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was conducted on purposefully selected 200 participants (60 of them were veterinary professionals from the districts and towns, and the remaining 140 were senior animal health university students). A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect the necessary data, and descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. RESULTS: The study revealed that, overall, study participants' KAP were not satisfactory. From veterinary professionals, about 56.7% of respondents scored average knowledge, whereas 66.7% and 61.66% of them had negative attitudes and poor practices, respectively, on AMU and AMR. The study found that 56% of the participants' think the previous knowledge they acquired regarding AMU and AMR was not sufficient, and the internet was used as a source of drug information by the majority of participants. The majority (72%) of them were not taking special training on AMU and AMR. Regarding senior animal health students, this study indicated that 52% and 69.2% of the respondents had poor knowledge and a negative attitude, respectively, towards AMU and AMR. CONCLUSION: Overall, veterinary professionals in the central Gondar zone have average knowledge, a negative attitude and poor practices. Poor knowledge and a negative attitude were also observed among senior animal health students towards AMU and AMR. Therefore, to fill the observed gaps, activities that enhance the skills of veterinary professionals and students should be implemented. Ingreted measures with animicrobial stewardship program and Nationwide studies are highly suggested to evaluate the overall status of veterinary professionals towards AMU and AMR.

When veterinarians treat plus-sized pets: Insights for veterinary practice.

Background: Obesity of companion animals in Canada is becoming a problem in veterinary practice. Cats and dogs, in particular, are increasingly overweight. However, prevention and treatment present challenges. Challenges in treating pet obesity, such as client nonadherence and animal welfare issues arising from obesity, also affect the well-being of veterinarians - especially given the coincident high rates of burnout and compassion fatigue experienced in the profession. Objective: This study investigated how practicing veterinarians perceive the treatment of overweight companion animals and how treating obese pets affects well-being of veterinarians. Animals and procedure: We recruited veterinarians who routinely treat companion animals in private practice to participate in focus group interviews. We also interviewed veterinarians who could not attend the focus group sessions, yet still wished to contribute. Through thematic data analysis, we generated key themes that illustrated how treating obese pets negatively affects veterinarian well-being. Results: Eighteen companion animal veterinarians contributed to this study. We generated 3 themes from the analysis that illustrate negative effects of treating obese pets on veterinarian well-being: i) negative feelings such as frustration and sadness associated with treating obese pets; ii) owners' lack of comprehension of the effects of obesity on pets, including early euthanasia; and iii) client nonadherence regarding treatment. Conclusion and clinical relevance: This study contributes to the veterinary literature on companion animal obesity by focusing on how treating pet obesity affects veterinarian well-being, especially given high rates of burnout and compassion fatigue in the profession. As pet obesity increases in society, obesity prevention and treatment is becoming central to companion animal veterinary practice. Our findings suggest that veterinarian well-being is negatively affected in connection with companion animal obesity. We recommend relationship-centered communication, increased nutritional expertise, and a focus on wellness in the workplace to improve veterinarian well-being while treating pet obesity.

Quand les vétérinaires traitent des animaux en surpoids : perspectives pour la pratique vétérinaire. Contexte: L'obésité des animaux de compagnie au Canada devient un problème dans la pratique vétérinaire. Les chats et les chiens, en particulier, sont de plus en plus en surpoids. Cependant, la prévention et le traitement présentent des défis. Les défis liés au traitement de l'obésité des animaux de compagnie, tels que la non-observance des traitements par les clients et les problèmes de bien-être animal liés à l'obésité, affectent également le bien-être des vétérinaires ­ en particulier compte tenu des taux élevés d'épuisement professionnel et de fatigue de compassion que connaît la profession. Objectif: Cette étude a examiné comment les vétérinaires en exercice perçoivent le traitement des animaux de compagnie en surpoids et comment le traitement des animaux obèses affecte le bien-être des vétérinaires. Animaux et procédure: Nous avons recruté des vétérinaires qui traitent régulièrement des animaux de compagnie en cabinet privé pour participer à des entretiens de groupe. Nous avons également interrogé des vétérinaires qui n'avaient pas pu assister aux séances de groupe de discussion, mais qui souhaitaient néanmoins contribuer. Grâce à l'analyse thématique des données, nous avons généré des thèmes clés illustrant comment le traitement des animaux obèses affecte négativement le bien-être des vétérinaires. Résultats: Dix-huit vétérinaires d'animaux de compagnie ont contribué à cette étude. Nous avons généré 3 thèmes à partir de l'analyse qui illustrent les effets négatifs du traitement des animaux obèses sur le bien-être du vétérinaire : i) les sentiments négatifs tels que la frustration et la tristesse associés au traitement des animaux obèses; ii) le manque de compréhension des propriétaires des effets de l'obésité sur les animaux de compagnie, y compris l'euthanasie précoce; et iii) la non-observance du traitement par les clients. Conclusion et pertinence clinique: Cette étude contribue à la littérature vétérinaire sur l'obésité des animaux de compagnie en se concentrant sur la façon dont le traitement de l'obésité des animaux de compagnie affecte le bien-être des vétérinaires, en particulier compte tenu des taux élevés d'épuisement professionnel et de fatigue de compassion dans la profession. À mesure que l'obésité des animaux de compagnie augmente dans la société, la prévention et le traitement de l'obésité deviennent essentiels à la pratique vétérinaire des animaux de compagnie. Nos résultats suggèrent que le bien-être des vétérinaires est affecté négativement par l'obésité des animaux de compagnie. Nous recommandons une communication centrée sur les relations, une expertise nutritionnelle accrue et une concentration sur le bien-être au travail pour améliorer le bien-être des vétérinaires tout en traitant l'obésité des animaux de compagnie.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Confidence level of Australian veterinarians with point-of-care ultrasound before and after a training course.

Objective: To determine if a short, hands-on, point-of-care course improves confidence of veterinary practitioners (VPs) in performing basic point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) applications and diagnosing specific POCUS pathologies. Procedure: A 2-day POCUS course was offered, including 6 h of lectures and 4 h of hands-on training. A self-assessment survey, using a 4-point Likert scale, was administered before and after the course, to study VPs' confidence in attaining ultrasound skills and diagnosing pathologies. Results: One hundred and thirteen participants answered the surveys: 65 (57.5%) completed pre- and post-practical surveys. Difference in confidence levels was assessed on paired pre-and post-practical surveys. Self-confidence increased significantly for each of the questions and for each field [pleural and lung POCUS (PLUS), abdominal POCUS, cardiac POCUS, and ultrasound-guided IV access] (P < 0.0001). Self-confidence was significantly higher for abdominal POCUS than for PLUS, cardiac POCUS and IV access before (P < 0.0001), but not following, completion of the course (P = 0.81). Conclusion: A short, 2-day course significantly increased the confidence level of VPs in the realization and interpretation of PLUS, abdominal POCUS, and cardiac POCUS questions, and vascular access procedures. Following completion of the course, there was no significant difference in confidence levels among POCUS fields. This suggests the course allowed practitioners to obtain equal confidence across all POCUS applications.

Niveau de confiance des vétérinaires australiens avec l'échographie au point de service avant et après une formation. Objectif: Déterminer si une formation courte et pratique au point de service améliore la confiance des vétérinaires praticiens (VP) dans la réalisation d'applications de base d'échographie au point de service (POCUS) et le diagnostic de pathologies POCUS spécifiques. Procédure: Un cours POCUS de 2 jours a été proposé, comprenant 6 h de cours magistraux et 4 h de formation pratique. Une enquête d'auto-évaluation, utilisant une échelle de Likert à 4 points, a été administrée avant et après le cours, pour étudier la confiance des VP dans l'acquisition de compétences en échographie et dans le diagnostic des pathologies. Résultats: Cent treize participants ont répondu aux sondages: 65 (57,5 %) ont répondu aux sondages pré-et post-pratiques. La différence dans les niveaux de confiance a été évaluée à l'aide d'enquêtes appariées avant et après la pratique. La confiance en soi a augmenté de manière significative pour chacune des questions et pour chaque domaine [POCUS pleural et pulmonaire (PLUS), POCUS abdominal, POCUS cardiaque et accès IV échoguidé] (P < 0,0001). La confiance en soi était significativement plus élevée pour le POCUS abdominal que pour le PLUS, le POCUS cardiaque et l'accès IV avant (P < 0,0001), mais pas après la fin du cours (P = 0,81). Conclusion: Une courte formation de 2 jours a considérablement augmenté le niveau de confiance des VPs dans la réalisation et l'interprétation des questions PLUS, POCUS abdominales et POCUS cardiaques, ainsi que dans les procédures d'accès vasculaire. Une fois le cours terminé, il n'y avait aucune différence significative dans les niveaux de confiance entre les domaines POCUS. Cela suggère que le cours a permis aux praticiens d'obtenir une confiance égale dans toutes les applications POCUS.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Pain, inconvenience and blame: defining work-related injuries in the veterinary workplace.

BACKGROUND: The veterinary workplace carries a high risk of staff accidents and injuries, yet there is scant research exploring it in comparison with other comparable fields, such as human medicine. AIMS: To understand how veterinary professionals define injuries and to understand what injuries they do, or do not, deem reportable. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey comprising demographic questions and open-text questions was shared with veterinary practice staff across the UK. Data were analysed descriptively and using an inductive content analysis. RESULTS: There were 740 respondents, who were broadly representative of the veterinary profession. There were differences in how injuries were defined; for example, small animal veterinarians expected injuries to involve blood, while equine and production animal veterinarians were more likely to expect injuries to reduce their ability to perform work and require medical treatment. Many suggested that 'all' workplace injuries should be reported; however, 'minor' injuries were often overlooked, for example, needlestick injuries did not always meet the criteria of being an 'injury'. Injuries caused by staff themselves (e.g. trips) were less likely to be reported than injuries that could be blamed on an external factor (e.g. dog bite). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the data suggest a wide-ranging perception of risk of injury in practice, with some harms seen as 'everyday norms'. Veterinary practices should interpret their injury statistics with a high degree of caution. They should explore the microcultures within their practices relating to worker perception of risk, injury and barriers to reporting.

Life satisfaction, psychological distress, compassion satisfaction and resilience: when the pleasure of helping others protects veterinary staff from emotional suffering.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals working in veterinary field suffer significantly from mental health problems, and research has extensively focused on psychological and work-related predictors of psychological distress. This study intended to approach psychological distress through a positive lens by investigating the predictive role of life satisfaction on psychological distress in veterinary staff, and the mediating effect of compassion satisfaction, resilience and perceived social support. METHODOLOGY: A total of 868 veterinary staff (i.e. veterinarians, veterinary nurses, veterinary assistants and veterinary administrative staff) completed a web-survey assessing life satisfaction, psychological distress, compassion satisfaction, resilience, and social support. RESULTS: Life satisfaction negatively predicts psychological distress, and compassion satisfaction and resilience showed a mediation effect on the relationship between life satisfaction and psychological distress, with compassion satisfaction explaining 59% and resilience 6.4% of the effect of life satisfaction on psychological distress. CONCLUSION: Current data support the role of life satisfaction as a protective dimension on psychological distress within a broader sample population of veterinary staff in Portugal, highlighting the role of compassion satisfaction and resilience in contributing in minimising distress among veterinary staff.

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards antibiotic use and resistance among the veterinarians in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of antimicrobial resistance is a growing human and animal health concern around the world. When a number of studies have emphasized the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) regarding antibiotic use and resistance in humans, little attention has been paid to the veterinary sector. The aim of this study was to understand the KAP towards antibiotic use and resistance among veterinarians in Bangladesh. METHODS: A cross-sectional online based questionnaire survey was conducted from August to September 2020 among the registered veterinary practitioners. A self-administered Google form questionnaire consisting of 45 questions on knowledge, attitude and practice regarding antibiotic use and resistance was used. For statistical significance test we used Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test and logistic regression for factor analysis. RESULTS: A total of 208 registered veterinarians participated in this study. The study involved a majority of male participants, constituting 85.1%, while 54.8% of the participants held a Masters degree. Around 52% of the veterinarians were poultry practitioners. All respondents were familiar with antimicrobials. The participants (91.4%) knew that antibiotics cannot cure viral infections, while 97.6% believed that frequent antibiotic prescriptions rendered them less effective. Participants claimed that only they were eligible to prescribe drugs for the treatment of animals, and around 80% disagreed with adding antibiotics with feed/water as a growth promoter in livestock. Of the total participants, 87% believed that a local antimicrobial guideline would be more effective than an international one. A multivariable analysis revealed that male veterinarians have 2.37 times higher knowledge regarding antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) (OR = 2.37, CI = 1.01-5.59, p = 0.05). Veterinarians engaged in government services demonstrated a 2.59 times more favorable attitude towards AMU and AMR (OR = 2.59, CI = 0.99-6.73, p = 0.05). Additionally, respondents aged 31-35 were 0.45 times more likely to exhibit good practices (OR = 0.45, CI = 0.2-1.00, p = 0.05). However, gaps in practices were highlighted in our study, suggesting training deficiencies. CONCLUSION: The present study, for the first time conducted in Bangladesh, dictates that future interventions like academic courses, workshops, and seminars on antibiotic usage and resistance are needed to facilitate the knowledge, behavior and practice of veterinarians with regard to the rational use of antibiotics.

Challenges for the management of Johne's disease in the UK: Expectation management, space, 'free riding', and vet-farmer communication.

Johne's disease in cattle is a significant global animal health challenge. Johne's disease is chronic, affecting the gastrointestinal tract of cattle and other ruminants and is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium avium ssp. Paratuberculosis. Many countries have introduced schemes and programmes to try and control the spread of Johne's disease, including the UK. Despite efforts to control it, however, Johne's disease remains consistently ranked by UK producers as the top ranked disease negatively affecting productivity, indicating that schemes are not perceived to have solved the problem fully. Building on a global systematic review of the literature on barriers and solutions for Johne's disease control on-farm, we conducted an empirical study with over 400 farmers and 150 veterinary professionals across the UK. The study used workshops and semi-structured interviews to understand better the challenges dairy farmers and veterinarians face in implementing on-farm Johne's disease management schemes with the aim of identifying solutions. The study found that four main challenges are faced in the on-farm control of Johne's - (1) Management of farmer expectations around Johne's disease, with eradication near impossible, (2) Issues regarding space for segregation and the related economics of control (3) A 'free-riding' problem which can be influenced by the voluntary nature of control plans and (4) Challenges in vet-farmer communication, including levels of knowledge. Our findings have relevance for the control of Johne's disease in the UK and other countries, including for regions with voluntary and compulsory control programmes.