Inaug.-diss.-Bern. / "Verzeichniss der durchgesehenen und benutzten literatur" : p. [vii]-xi.

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Scant attention has been given to occupational health hazards of Australian veterinarians. This study aimed to identify the major risk factors for occupational injury and disease, emotional health and suicide rates of veterinarians. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 45 veterinarians were carried out which revealed that a significant proportion of veterinarians were both injured, stressed and had incurred zoonotic diseases. Data linkage of the names of registered veterinarians in Western Australia with four Health Department of Western Australia databases was undertaken to provide supportive statistics on the conditions identified as being important in the interviews. The results of this latter analysis were inconclusive. Therefore a self-administered questionnaire was developed, which collected quantitative data on injuries, disease, stress and risk factors from 419 veterinarians. Since the in-depth interviews had identified stress and suicide ideation as being very significant for many of those interviewed, the Kessler 10+ scale for measuring psychological distress was included in the self-administered questionnaire. The data linkage was unable to provide accurate data about numbers of deaths of veterinarians and the records of coroners in Victoria and Western Australia which provided data on 89 veterinarians, were analysed to determine suicide rates. Despite the interviews providing considerable information about rates and risk factors for injuries, disease and stress, no statistical analyses were undertaken because they provided insufficient data for quantitative analyses. / Nevertheless, statistics derived from the morbidity database using data-linkage, will be useful in comparing injuries in any future studies of this type. Data collected from the self-administered questionnaire were subjected to Chi square, and non-parametric tests and logistic regression analyses using multiple imputation for missing values. Age-standardised and age-specific rates (ASR) were calculated for data on suicide in veterinarians derived from coroners' records obtained from Western Australia and Victoria using the Rates Calculator developed by Codde.' The interviews and the survey of 464 veterinarians showed that a significant proportion of veterinarians incurred injuries and zoonotic diseases, and were highly stressed and distressed. The interviews showed that a significant proportion of veterinarians expected to be injured and/or contract zoonotic diseases. It is suggested that this acceptance may, in part, account for the number of injuries that occur. Some of these injuries, especially in mixed animal veterinarians, may be attributable to poor facilities on farms and a lack of competent support in restraint of animals. There needs to be a cultural change with regard to safety if injury is to be reduced. Using the Chi-squared analyses of the survey data, injury was associated with several risk factors including being a practice owner and being in mixed animal practice, being younger and with having taken drugs such as marijuana in the past 12 months. / When all these variables were input into a logistic regression model, several of these risk factors were eliminated providing only three risk factors as predictors of injury. These were: having a back injury; taking drugs in the previous 12 months; and being between 35 and 54 years of age. Having high distress levels was not a predictor for injury. Analyses of responses to the KlOi- scale in the self-administered questionnaire revealed that the proportion of highly distressed respondents was double that of the Western Australian, New South Wales and Australian general populations which supports the findings from the interviews. Logistic regression provided three predictors for distress: being less than 35 years of age, having taken drugs in the past 12 months, and having a back injury, however having other workplace injuries was not a predictor. The findings that the suicide rate in this study was about four times that of the general Australian adult population, should be of major concern and signal that there may be factors specific to the veterinary profession that account for this high rate. This study has shown that there are high levels of psychological distress in veterinarians, especially practitioners, which suggests that veterinary practice may, in itself, be a stressful occupation. However, it may also be that some individuals with a predilection for distress, are being recruited into the veterinary profession. / Better selection techniques for recruiting veterinary students using an aptitude test as well as interviews, could identify those who were unsuited for becoming veterinarians or who required additional mentoring and support upon graduation. This could reduce stress, distress and suicide in the veterinary profession. Overall, 17 recommendations were made directed at improving the quality of data collection to obtain more reliable statistical outcomes, and suggesting ways of reducing injury, distress and zoonotic disease in veterinarians.

No description available.

Official veterinarians (OVs), employed by the National Food Administration of Sweden, are responsible for the monitoring of animal welfare as well as food hygiene procedures in the country ́s slaughterhouses. In 2014, the National Food Administration of Sweden introduced new policy guidelines to ensure that the OVs report all deviations to the County Administrative Boards of Sweden, which are responsible for welfare inspections in Sweden. Therefore, it is important that the OVs notify the administrative boards if they have any suspicions regarding animal neglect. The overall aim of this study is to investigate the cooperation between the County Administrative Boards of Sweden and the National Food Administration of Sweden, and to find out how this collaboration impacts animal welfare. In addition to this, its second aim is to explore the current state of animal welfare in slaughterhouses in southern Sweden. This study is based on a qualitative research method, which combines questioners with the analysis of publicly available documents. Furthermore, this study shows that although the new guidelines have resulted in heavier workloads, both parties are satisfied with the arrangement and agree that the new procedures have led to an improvement of animal welfare. In 2015, OVs in Skåne, Blekinge, Halland and Kronoberg submitted 506 cases of suspected animal cruelty taken place in these counties to the County Administrative Boards of Sweden. After comparison of the total number of reports from 2015 and the overall animals slaughtered in the counties in 2014, this study highlights that 0,03 % of all lambs, 0,12 % of all swine and 0,01 % of all cattle were reported with deviations during slaughter. Therefore, this study concludes that animal welfare in slaughterhouses can be considered to be of a high standard. / Sverige anses i många avseende vara ett föregångsland när det kommer till djurskydd och djurvälfärd. En betydelsefull del av den svenska djurskyddskontrollen utgörs av s.k. officiella veterinärer vilka är speciellt förordnade av Livsmedelsverket att kontrollera livsmedelshygien så väl som djurhälsa och djurskydd ute på våra svenska slakterier. Alla våra produktionsdjur som är ämnade att bli livsmedel har sin sista anhalt vid ett slakteri, vilket gör de officiella veterinärernas och assistenternas roll mycket betydelsefull. Under vintern 2013 slog media larm om att avvikelser som uppmärksammats i samband med slakttransporter inte alltid rapporterades vidare till länsstyrelsen i den utsträckning de borde. Året därefter infördes en nyordning från Livsmedelsverkets sida och idag följer de officiella veterinärer nya riktlinjer gällande hur denna vidarerapportering ska gå till. För att bristerna som uppdagats vid slakt ska följas upp och utredas är det viktigt att informationen når länsstyrelsen för vidare handläggning. De officiella veterinärerna ska därför, enligt de nya riktlinjerna, meddela länsstyrelsen om alla uppmärksammade brister i djurskyddet vid slakt genom en “underrättelse om djurskydd”. Ett gott samarbete mellan länsstyrelsen och Livsmedelsverket är därmed väsentligt för att avvikelser i djurhållningen inte ska gå obemärkta förbi. Syftet med denna studie var dels att beskriva hur samarbetet mellan Livsmedelsverket och länsstyrelsen fungerar i Skåne, Halland, Blekinge samt Kronoberg och vilken inverkan det har på djurskyddet vid slakt. Den andra delen av studien berör hur djurvälfärden vid slakt ser ut utifrån vilka avvikelser som uppdagats under 2015 och underrättats till länsstyrelsen i respektive län. Undersökningen genomfördes med en kvalitativ metod och inleddes med att samtliga underrättelser om djurskydd som upprättats under 2015 i fyra angränsade län i södra Sverige begärdes ut från Livsmedelsverket. För att få svar på hur samarbetet mellan Livsmedelsverket och länsstyrelsen fungerar skickades två frågeformulär ut till sakkunnig personal inom området; ett till Livsmedelsverkets officiella veterinärer i södra Götaland och ett till verksamma djurskyddshandläggare i de berörda länen som ansvarar för handläggning och uppföljning av inkomna djurskyddsärenden vid slakt. De befintliga rutinerna och riktlinjer som följs i dagsläget har lett till en ökad arbetsbelastning för båda parter och under 2015 inkom sammanlagt 506 underrättelser till Länsstyrelsen i Skåne, Halland, Blekinge och Kronoberg. Trots att arbetsbördan har ökat anser både länsstyrelsen och Livsmedelsverket i södra Sverige att samarbetet och kommunikationen mellan parterna har förbättrats sedan nyordningen infördes. Vid jämförelse mellan antalet slaktade djur 2014 och andelen djur som noterats med avvikelser 2015 i de fyra länen erhölls en procentuell siffra på den totala andelen djur som noterats med avvikelser vid slakt. Resultatet blev 0,03 % för får/lamm, 0,12 % för slaktsvin och suggor och 0,01 % för nötkreatur. Resultatet indikerar på en god djurvälfärd vid slakt hos våra produktionsdjur i södra Sverige. För att få djupgående kunskaper om effektiviteten i länsstyrelsens och Livsmedelsverkets samarbete bör även djurhållares och transportörers upplevelser tas i beaktande i framtida studier.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Murdoch University, 2008. / Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-233)

Veterinary medicine is an intense profession that begins with rigorous and demanding veterinary training. Within veterinary training, technical competencies generally receive more attention and emphasis than non-technical competencies, leaving many veterinarians at increased risk for compassion fatigue and other forms of mental illness. Two non-technical competencies that need further empirical investigation are communication and the influence of compassion on veterinarians. Communication is central to veterinary success; communication style was measured using the Communication Styles Inventory. Compassion has been recognized as having both positive effects (satisfaction) and negative effects (fatigue); compassion experiences were measured using a version of the Professional Quality of Life Scale. This research study investigated the relationship between compassion experiences and communication styles of 4th-year veterinarians-in-training using a canonical correlation analysis. Differences in compassion experiences and in communication styles among men and women veterinarians-in-training were investigated using 2 one-way MANOVAs. Results indicated that communication style of 4th-year veterinary students is statistically significantly related to their compassion experiences (n = 281; Function 1, Rc = .552, p < .001; Function 2,Rc = .369, p < .001). Compassion fatigue was found to have a statistically significant association with the communication styles of Emotionality (r = .467, p < .001), Impression Manipulativeness (r = .191, p = .001), and Verbal Aggressiveness (r = .239, p = .001). Compassion satisfaction was found to have a statistically significant association with the communication style of Expressiveness (r = -.326, p = .001). Men and women veterinarians-in-training showed statistically significantly different communication styles (p < .001), with women showing higher levels of Emotionality (p = .001) and men showing higher levels of Impression Manipulativeness (p = .005). Men and women veterinarians-in-training showed statistically significantly different compassion experiences (p = .044); however, univariate effects yielded no significant differences in levels of fatigue or satisfaction. Using the Compassion Fatigue Resilience Model as the theoretical framework, results indicate that veterinary training programs should consider providing specific training that will help students build skills and resources to help manage their styles of communication to decrease risk of developing compassion fatigue and increase levels of compassion satisfaction.

Dissertation--Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, 2008 / Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-214).

This thesis investigates the regulation of the veterinary profession in the UK. In the UK this profession is regulated by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA 1966). Since that date there have occurred vast changes in veterinary medicine and science and the delivery of veterinary services, legal developments in other areas, including professional regulatory law, and societal changes in attitudes towards animals and expectations of the professions. This research was undertaken in order to determine whether the regulatory system for the veterinary profession in the UK is well designed to achieve the aims appropriate to the present-day profession, and to propose reforms where these are indicated. The system was evaluated by applying a set of benchmark criteria used by the National Health Service Ombudsman for England whose jurisdiction encompasses clinical as well as administrative matters. The study shows that the current system is well suited to functions such as regulating and monitoring veterinary education and rule-making for the control of animal diseases and zoonoses. However, the overall conclusion is that the VSA 1966 is outdated and should be replaced by new legislation. Arguments are made in favour of the following key reforms: separation of regulatory role from Royal College functions; changes in the composition of the regulatory body; introduction of the regulation of paraprofessionals and veterinary practices; plus a range of changes across the disciplinary system involving revision of the grounds and sanctions for disciplinary action, clarification of the identity of the regulator, reforms in the investigation of complaints, disciplinary hearings, appeals and the position of the complainant in the disciplinary process. Whilst some improvements could be made under the current regime, the view remains that new legislation is needed. Although it appears that the RCVS is in favour of this, the necessary political will seems to be lacking on the part of government.

Mini-dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005. / In order to determine the perceptions of veterinarians towards homoeopathy and the utilization of homoeopathy by veterinarians in KwaZulu-Natal, a survey was sent out to 128 veterinarians practicing in the area. The questionnaire consisted of 6 demographic and 26 veterinary related questions. In most cases the respondents had to tick off a pre-printed answer, but a few of the questions had open-ended answers. The questionnaire was completed and returned by 63 (49,2%) veterinarians. The data was analysed by the SPSS software and the statistical methods used were frequency tables and chi-square tests. The response by the veterinarians was very positive and the sample well distributed in terms of age, type of practice, area of practice and type of animal treated. The study showed that 60.3% of respondents use homoeopathy, with the majority of these using homoeopathy for less than 10 years. Veterinarians who treat small animals were more likely to use homoeopathy than those treating large animals. The reasons for using homoeopathy were mainly as an alternative treatment, and because the treatment has less (no) side effects. Most veterinarians use homoeopathy on few patients, with only one veterinarian using it on all patients. All the veterinarians currently using homoeopathy expressed a wish to continues using homoepathy. / M