Awareness and Use of Canine Quality of Life Assessment Tools in UK Veterinary Practice

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Assessing the quality of life (QOL) in dogs is difficult but formal assessment tools exist, often in the form of owner-completed questionnaires. Use of these tools in veterinary practice has been recommended by various veterinary associations. This study investigated current awareness and use of canine QOL assessment tools in veterinary practice in the UK. An online survey was completed by 90 veterinary surgeons and 20 veterinary nurses. One third were aware of the existence of canine QOL assessment tools, but less than four percent were using one in practice. Most vets and nurses were willing to use one as a tool, but reported that lack of time and potential resistance from owners were barriers to use. Results suggest that QOL assessment tools developed by researchers are not well distributed to veterinary professionals, and that several barriers inhibit their use. ABSTRACT: The use of formal canine quality of life (QOL) assessment tools in veterinary practice has been recommended. An online survey investigated awareness, use and barriers to use of these tools in the UK. An anonymous 24-question survey was advertised through veterinary groups and social media. Ninety veterinary surgeons and twenty veterinary nurses responded. Thirty-two respondents (29.1%) were aware of the existence of formal canine QOL assessment tools. Of the three tools listed, current use was less than four per cent. No statistically significant influence of respondent age, role (veterinary surgeon or nurse) or possession of additional qualifications was found on the awareness of QOL tools (p > 0.05). Over half of respondents (55.5%) would ‘certainly’ or ‘probably’ be willing to use a QOL assessment tool. The main barrier to use was lack of time. Other barriers included a perceived resistance from owners. Although current use and awareness of canine QOL assessment tools in UK veterinary practice is low, veterinary professionals appear willing to use the tools within their daily practice. This discrepancy implies that QOL assessment tools are not well disseminated to veterinary surgeons and nurses in practice and that various barriers inhibit their use.