Abstract
The Internet is a commonly used resource for accessing health information. Despite the Internet’s popularity in the human health field, little is known about the Internet’s impact on veterinarians, their clients, and the veterinarian–client relationship. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of veterinarians from the United Kingdom of clients’ use of the Internet and the perceived impact on pet health and the veterinarian–client relationship. A survey was distributed between January 4 and March 3, 2017, via an online link. In total, 100 veterinarians completed the survey. This study found that most UK veterinarians feel their clients access the Internet to find pet health information, yet often do not understand what they read online. Importantly, 40% of veterinarians stated that the Internet has a negative impact on companion animal health. This small-scale study found mixed opinions regarding veterinarians’ perceptions of their clients’ use of the Internet and the potential impact it has on the client–veterinarian relationship. Research on clients’ actual use of the Internet and their associated perceptions is a next logical step.
Highlights
In 2016, the majority (82%) of the UK adult population used the Internet on a daily or almost daily basis, a demonstrable increase from 35% in 2006 [1]
Previous research has highlighted the fact that pet owners frequently consult the Internet for pet health information in addition to seeking advice from their veterinarians [3, 4]
This study found that most UK veterinarians feel their clients access the Internet to find pet health information, yet often do
Summary
In 2016, the majority (82%) of the UK adult population used the Internet on a daily or almost daily basis, a demonstrable increase from 35% in 2006 [1]. As witnessed in the human health field, the Internet is a commonly used resource for accessing health information [2]. The Internet is an extensive resource and there is the risk for pet owners to access inaccurate and unreliable information, potentially influencing pet health and veterinarian–client relationships [4, 5]. This has been previously demonstrated, as Taggart et al [6] evaluated 44 website related to canine cruciate ligament disease and found that the quality of website contents varied and was influenced by both terminology used and if the website was authored by a veterinarian. Jehn et al [7] found that of 30 websites reviewed related to osteoarthritis in dogs and were found to be often incomplete
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