Assessment of owner perceptions of caregiver burden, veterinarian-client relationship and satisfaction with the provider in canine pruritus: An experimental vignette study.

Abstract

Complicated treatments for skin disease are linked to owner-caregiver burden and poorer perception of the veterinarian-client relationship, regardless of disease severity. Using experimental vignettes, we explored the impact on owner perception of the interaction of treatment complexity and skin disease outcomes. We hypothesised that: (i) vignette conditions involving injection therapy would result in lower burden, better veterinary-client relationship and greater satisfaction relative to multimodal therapy conditions; (ii) the vignette condition of injection therapy with a completely effective outcome would be superior to all other conditions; (iii) ineffective vignette conditions would be inferior to all other conditions; and (iv) the vignette condition injection with a mostly effective outcome would be similar or superior to the multimodal therapy with a completely effective outcome condition. Three hundred and nine owners of pruritic dogs recruited from a general veterinary practice, pet-related podcast, or social media dog allergy group. Participants were presented with six counterbalanced online vignettes representing three levels of treatment effectiveness (Completely Effective, Mostly Effective, Ineffective) and two treatment regimens (Multimodal, Injection). Measurements of participant perceptions of caregiver burden, veterinarian-client relationship and satisfaction were recorded. Injection with perfect outcome was superior to other conditions (p < 0.001). Conditions with poor effectiveness were inferior (p < 0.001). Comparison of Injection with a mostly effective outcome to Multimodal treatment with perfect outcome yielded small-to-medium effects of preference for the latter in veterinarian-client relationship and satisfaction (p < 0.01); no difference was observed for caregiver burden. When good effectiveness was assured, injection was preferred (p < 0.001). Owners preferred a Completely Effective outcome and were prepared to select the Injection regimen or Multimodal therapy to achieve this; Injection was preferred when effectiveness was assured.