References
The importance of preventative healthcare: what 10 years of research from the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine reveals
Abstract
Preventative healthcare, including vaccination, is a fundamental part of everyday life for both humans and animals. However, in a veterinary context, little attention has been afforded to the features of preventative healthcare discussions relating to small animals and the factors that might influence the uptake of these measures. There has also been little exploration of the opinions and perceived responsibilities of all stakeholders (vets, nurses, receptionists and owners) in an animal's preventative healthcare journey. The Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine has been researching this important area for the past 10 years; this article summarises their findings, culminating in the provision of practitioner-focused evidence-based guidance for use in clinical decision-making to help optimise animal care.
Vaccines and preventative medicine are as important today as they have ever been. While the world comes to terms with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are living in the reality of human vaccination being one of the most important approaches we can take to reduce disease transmission and infection, both nationally and globally. Like other preventative practices, the same principle applies to diseases of veterinary significance, such as rabies (Sanchez-Soriano et al, 2020). The incidence of what is being termed ‘vaccine hesitancy’, or the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services (WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (on Immunisation) 2014), has begun to appear in veterinary reports (McGowan, 2019; Mattson, 2020; Kogan et al, 2021). It is a fundamental part of evidence-based veterinary practice that an understanding of how stakeholders perceive their role within, and beliefs about, animal health is key for successful knowledge exchange interactions. For evidence-based veterinary research to be successful, all key stakeholders should be involved in the research creation process to ensure an outcome that is applicable to, and useable by as many professionals as possible. These practice-based and research perspectives are key in areas such as preventative medicine, where communication about the risks and benefits is vital for successful implementation. As the UK veterinary industry re-evaluates how it approaches the day to day running of veterinary practice in the aftermath of the introduction of COVID-19 in 2020, having a good grasp of stakeholders' perspectives is more important than it has ever been, particularly in terms of preventative healthcare.
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