Informant discrepancy between caretakers in history reporting in veterinary dermatology

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Dermatology
• Animal Health
• Clinical Decision-Making

Background:

• Medical history collection is crucial for veterinary clinical decisions.
• Veterinary patient reporting parallels human pediatric medicine, relying on caretaker input.
• Informant discrepancy in histories from co-parents is known in human pediatrics but unstudied in veterinary medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate informant agreement among caretakers of veterinary dermatology patients.
• To assess discrepancies in historical data provided by multiple caretakers for a single veterinary patient.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire-based, prospective, descriptive study design was employed.
• Caretakers of veterinary dermatology patients completed a history questionnaire in separate rooms.
• Agreement proportion was analyzed by comparing paired caretaker responses.

Main Results:

• Highest agreement was observed for gastrointestinal signs (94.1%), diet exacerbation (84.3%), and disease duration (80.4%).
• Agreement on pruritus scores within 2 units was 61.5%; body part affected agreement was 53.5%.
• Lowest agreement was found for disease seasonality (38.5%) and individual medication use (38.7%).

Conclusions:

• Informant discrepancy is present in caretaker histories within veterinary dermatology.
• Clinicians should consider input from all caretakers for comprehensive patient assessment.
• Addressing caretaker discrepancies can improve diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations in veterinary dermatology.