Risk Factors Associated With Increased Ethically Challenging Situations Encountered by Veterinary Team Members During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Anne Quain,Siobhan Mullan,Michael P Ward

doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.752388

Anne Quain, Siobhan Mullan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.752388

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Abstract

Ethically challenging situations (ECS) are commonly encountered in veterinary settings. The number of ECS encountered by some veterinary team members may increase during a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the risk factors for experiencing an increase in the frequency of ECS in the months following the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing data from a global survey of veterinarians, veterinary nurses and animal health technicians collected from May to July 2020. In this study, descriptive analyses were performed to characterize veterinary team members who responded to the survey (n = 540). Binomial logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with an increase in ECS encountered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being a veterinary nurse or animal health technician, working with companion animals, working in the USA or Canada, and being not confident or underconfident in dealing with ECS in the workplace were factors associated with an increase in ECS encountered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results suggest a need to explore the ECS encountered by veterinary team members, particularly veterinary nurses and animal health technicians working in companion animal practice, in depth. Identification of risk factors may facilitate better preparation of veterinary team members for managing ECS, and minimizing the negative impact of ECS on the well-being of those who care for animals.

Highlights

Challenging situations (ECS) are commonly encountered by veterinary team members, and can lead to moral stress and moral distress [1,2,3,4,5,6].During the COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020 [7], veterinarians, animal health technicians, veterinary nurses, and other health professionals (“veterinary team members”) encountered Ethically challenging situations (ECS) not documented in previous surveys
During the COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020 [7], veterinarians, animal health technicians, veterinary nurses, and other health professionals (“veterinary team members”) encountered ECS not documented in previous surveys
This study explored factors associated with a reported increase in ethically challenging situations encountered by veterinary team members during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (May to July) in 2020

Summary

Introduction

Challenging situations (ECS) are commonly encountered by veterinary team members, and can lead to moral stress and moral distress [1,2,3,4,5,6].During the COVID-19 pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020 [7], veterinarians, animal health technicians, veterinary nurses, and other health professionals (“veterinary team members”) encountered ECS not documented in previous surveys. They encountered well-documented ECS, such as dealing with clients with financial limitations, and conflicts between the interests of the animal and those of the client. Veterinary professionals, like health care professionals, must provide an appropriate standard of care to their patients, despite the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from clients and colleagues to both themselves, and potentially their household members during the global pandemic. They must balance the needs of themselves and their loved ones with those of their patients and clients [9]. During the early months of the pandemic in particular, risk management was complicated by uncertainty around the nature and transmissibility of SARSCoV-2, as well as uncertainty around what veterinary services were “essential,” and which could be delayed [8, 10]

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