Developing practical recommendations for preventative healthcare consultations involving dogs and cats using a Delphi...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Health
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Preventive healthcare consultations (PHCs) are a significant part of small animal veterinary practice in the UK.
• There is a limited evidence base for optimizing these crucial pet wellness visits.
• Practical, evidence-based guidance is needed for veterinary surgeons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop the first consensus-based recommendations for improving dog and cat preventative healthcare consultations.
• To utilize an evidence-based methodology for creating practical guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Systematic examination of evidence from multiple sources to generate 18 initial recommendations.
• Recruitment of an experienced panel of veterinary surgeons and pet owners.
• A three-round Delphi technique using online questionnaires to achieve consensus (80% agreement/disagreement).

Main Results:

• Thirteen out of 18 recommendations achieved the consensus threshold (>80% agreement).
• Five recommendations did not reach the consensus level.
• This represents the first set of evidence-based recommendations for small animal PHCs developed using a Delphi panel including owners.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully generated consensus on key recommendations to improve preventative healthcare consultations for dogs and cats.
• Further research is required to explore the implementation of these recommendations across diverse veterinary practice settings.
• These findings provide a foundation for enhancing the quality and effectiveness of pet wellness visits.