LOOK AFTER YOUR VET BEING A VET BRITAINS HIGHEST RISK This alarming study tells what most of us already know. There are way too many places where horses are poorly raised or unhandled, where handlers think sweet Nellie wouldnt hurt a fly, and where facilities are next to nothing. How do you look after your vet? Being a horse vet in the United Kingdom (UK) appears to carry the highest risk of injury of any civilian occupation in the UK, according to the results of the first-ever survey on injuries within the profession. This study was commissioned by the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and conducted by the University of Glasgow, It was widely thought that some vets have to give up equine work due to a work-related injury and while very occasionally fatalities have happened, these might be inconsistently documented. “We were coming across reports that vets were being injured, often seriously and occasionally fatally, when dealing with their patients. As a result, we commissioned this study to quantify and qualify the risks, which our members were facing whilst pursuing their professional career. It is a sad irony that some vets are being seriously injured in their efforts to protect the health of horses.” A total of 620 equine veterinarians completed a work-related injuries questionnaire between September and November 2013. The study results indicated that an equine vet could expect to sustain between seven and eight work-related injuries that impeded him or her from practicing during a 30-year working life. Data from the Health and Safety Executive suggest that vets working in equine practice in the UK thus sustain a very high number of injuries compared to other civilian occupations, including those working in the construction industry, prison service, and the fire brigade. Participants were asked to describe their worst-ever injury. Most were described as bruising, fracture, and laceration, with the most common site of injury being the leg (29%), followed by the head (23%). The main cause of injury was a kick with a hind limb (49%), followed by a strike with a forelimb (11%), followed by crush injury (5%). Nearly a quarter of these reported injuries required hospital admission and, notably, 7% resulted in loss of consciousness. “We were shocked to discover the extent of the injuries sustained,” Chandler said. “Of greatest concern is the number of vets who suffered head injuries and unconsciousness. These injuries appeared to be more common when certain procedures were being performed, such as endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract, when vets are often only partly sighted while using examination equipment, or during wound management and bandage-changes, where vets are often crouched down for long periods next to the patient.” Thirty eight percent of the “worst” injuries occurred when the veterinarian was working with a pleasure horse, and most frequently (48% of all responses) the horse handler was the owner or the client at the time of the injury. The risks associated with handling and working with horses should be the primary consideration for equine vets and horses owners alike, every time a horse is examined or treated. In addition, the experience of the horse handler should be considered when undertaking riskier procedures.”
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 21:17:13 +0000
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