Research commissioned by the Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI) has revealed that 35% of veterinary practitioners (vets) and 35% of veterinary nurses believe there is an increasing role for veterinary telemedicine in the provision of services in the sector. The topic of the research was veterinary telemedicine. The results of this research, carried out in early 2021, featured the VCI’s recently published annual report.
Three separate surveys on this topic were designed for nurses, vets, and stakeholders to include the general public. The survey asked respondents to provide feedback on the following:
- The role of veterinary telemedicine
- Teletriage
- Prescribing
- The impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
VCI reports that when the questions were asked of the stakeholder group which included members of the general public, the figure increased to 43%. When asked to what extent they believed that knowledge of the animals’ environment, husbandry conditions, diet and veterinary medical history are important in determining diagnosis and treatment for an animal or herd or flock, 86% of stakeholders, 94% of nurses, and 92% of vets believed it to be important.
When asked if a physical inspection of animals or animal products destined for the food chain should be required to allow a vet to certify the animal’s condition, 62% of stakeholders, 88% of nurses and 90% of vets said it was.
Throughout 2021, the VCI engaged in three public consultations on:
1. Veterinary telemedicine
2. Research into mental health and wellbeing within the veterinary professions
3. Codes of Professional Conduct