Patricia Wuest summarizes a recent study that found 69 percent of veterinarian respondents said they had felt moderate to severe distress about not being able to give animals what they thought was the right care. Almost two-thirds were bothered by inappropriate requests for euthanasia. The study exposes animal health pros to the challenges of being the point of service for euthanasia regardless of the reasons.
Source: Today’s Veterinary Practice, June 2019. Link.
“The findings implicate moral distress in generating feelings of burnout and compassion fatigue, raising concern that moral distress may contribute to the development of mental health problems among veterinarians. We join other researchers in the veterinary profession in urging that the roots of stress and poor well‐being in the veterinary community be fully explored and addressed by professional societies.” – study authors