Practice-wide certification in stress-reducing animal care lowers the rate of patient-inflicted injuries to veterinary staff in small animal general practices.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between patient handling techniques and the incidence of patient-inflicted injury to veterinary staff. Furthermore, we aimed to characterize hospitals' postinjury care protocols. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on convenience sample data of small animal general practices in the US and Canada, collected via an online survey. The survey was distributed between October and November 2023. Practices located outside of the US and Canada and those not identified as primary care or general small animal practices were excluded. RESULTS: There were 113 survey responses that met the inclusion criteria. Injury rates were lower in practices where 100% of veterinary staff were certified in some type of stress-reducing care method or program. Practices with < 100% of employees certified were 3.5 times (95% CI, 1.2 to 10.4) more likely to have injuries once a month or more compared to practices with 100% certification. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that training in stress-reducing animal care could make veterinary workplaces safer. Given the burnout and staff retention issues veterinary medicine is facing, as well as the cost of workers' compensation insurance, this study's findings could provide valuable information for veterinary employers. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Stress-reducing patient care programs that allow all members of the veterinary staff or the practice as a whole to become certified can lead to a reduction in occupational injury associated with animal handling.