SURVEY OF ANIMAL-RELATED OCCUPATIONAL INJURY WITHIN VETERINARY CLINICS OF TUCSON, ARIZONA

Abstract

The goal of this study was to discern potential causes and prevention methods of bite and scratch injuries within small animal veterinary clinics. A cross-sectional online survey was completely by 35 veterinary professionals within Tucson, Arizona. The main topics of investigation pertained to identifying potential underlying causes, including the role of the victim, co-workers, and management, animal handling and restraint technique, environmental stimuli, client communication, animal socialization and desensitization to the clinic environment, and mental health. It was hypothesized that veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants would have higher rates of animal-related injury compared to veterinarians, and that professionals with more years of experience would have less animal-related injuries compared to their less experienced counter parts. The results of the study did not find a statistical difference between animal-related injury occurrences between veterinary professionals of different occupations and experience levels. Results showed that participants had the highest average agreement that the use of chemical restraint and animal socialization and desensitization to the clinic environment would have helped to prevent their animal-related injuries. This provides evidence that the behavior of the animal patient is a key contributor to occupational bite and scratch injuries within the veterinary profession and that chemical restraint is an underutilized injury prevention tool.