Factors Related to In‐House Agricultural Animal Caseloads in US Veterinary Teaching Hospitals

Abstract

A retrospective observational study was conducted to determine whether agricultural animal caseloads at veterinary teaching hospitals declined between 1995 and 1998. Thereafter, the effect of organizational and demographic factors on 1998 in‐house agricultural animal caseloads was examined. Caseload data were obtained from the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. Demographic and organizational data were obtained by surveys, telephone interviews, and web‐based resources. Complete data were available from 25 veterinary colleges, and data from these schools were used in subsequent analyses. In 1998, in‐house food animal caseload decreased relative to 1995 in 17 schools and increased relative to 1995 in 8 schools. This trend was not significant (P= .053); however, the power of the test was limited (.50). Mean 1998 caseload was 886± 504. Among schools with a discipline‐based organizational structure, annual mean caseload was 464 ± 220. Among schools with a species‐based organizational structure, mean caseload was 1,167 ± 463. The regression model that best predicted caseload was a forward‐stepping model that included only organizational structure as an independent variable. No additional independent variable was significantly associated with caseload.