| dc.description.abstract | Euthanasia of animals can be a stressful component of the veterinary practice, since the decision to euthanise an animal is often complicated by several factors or considerations. In this literature study, a questionnaire was designed which can be used to gain insight into the decision-making process of veterinarians regarding complex euthanasia cases. The aim of the questionnaire is to find out which considerations and to what extent influence this decision-making process. The basis of the questionnaire was formed by eight considerations found in literature, which were supplemented by three more factors that were found during the design of the questionnaire. To decrease the chance of social desirability bias, the considerations are implemented into brief, hypothetical case scenarios, also called vignettes. These vignettes address case scenarios about equines, companion animals and farm animals and are (partly) based on previous literature. Veterinarians are asked to what extent they agree with euthanasia in the given case scenarios. Within the case scenarios, the various considerations are varied to find out the relative importance of these considerations. Since not all considerations could be included in the vignettes, the questionnaire also contains statements and questions in which the considerations are implemented. These statements and questions are based on literature of the humane and veterinary medical field and as a result of this the questionnaire has been divided into four themes: personal experiences, opinions, case scenarios and demographics. To increase the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, a pre-test was conducted among 15 veterinarians and non-veterinarians. Comments and suggestions were summarized and evaluated, and incorporated into a revised version of the questionnaire. Although there are still some minor adjustments to be made, the result of this study is a well-founded questionnaire that can be distributed among Dutch veterinarians. | |
