| dc.description.abstract | The field of veterinary medicine has evolved significantly over the last decades. This required veterinarians to adapt to new roles and responsibilities. Though much has been written on the evolved responsibilities of veterinarians from scientific and professional perspectives, the perspective of the general public has rarely been recorded. This study aimed to gather the opinions of the Dutch general public regarding the responsibilities of Dutch veterinarians and to compare them to current scientific and professional standards. For this purpose, an anonymous questionnaire was distributed through several social media channels. 74 responses were recorded, and 67 were included in the analysis. Participants were asked to score their agreement with 16 statements on a 5-point answer scale.
Results showed the strongest agreement for reporting suspicions of animal abuse (M=4.73), reporting suspicions of animal neglect (M=4.59), advising owners on best treatment options (M=4.41), advising owners on zoonoses (M=4.27), improving the physical health of animals (M=4.24), supporting owners in difficult situations (M=4.12) and preventing AMR (M=4.10). Additionally, participants seemed to prefer a shared responsibility between owners and veterinarians when making treatment decisions, matching the SDM concept. Several effects of demographic variables on answer patterns were found. Five composite attitudes were formulated using PCA: One Health, Veterinary Authority and Responsibility, Focus on Individuals, Owner Autonomy and Owner Support. Together, they reflect topics subject to diverging opinions. Public opinion deviated from the opinions of those with veterinary training, scientific literature or professional guidelines or codes regarding the reporting of DV, food safety, public health, considering AMR and the veterinarians’ role in the decision-making process.
Despite its limitations in sample size and representation of the general population, this study indicates the utility of this type of research and provides valuable insights which may help veterinarians to understand the expectations the general public has of them. This may facilitate improved communication with clients and prevent conflicts of interest, thus improving veterinary mental health. | |
