Dog and cat owners see the potential benefits, but so far make no use of veterinary telemedicine

The use of telemedicine by dog and cat owners in companion animal practice is the subject of a newly published questionnaire study by researchers from the Vetmeduni Vienna, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Glasgow. They investigated how many dog and cat owners in Austria, Denmark and the UK have already used telemedicine and how many owners would be willing to use it in the future. The owners were also asked whether they see advantages or potential risks from this possibility.

The study found that although the majority of owners are aware that the use of telemedicine may risk something being missed, they also see great potential in remote consultation in terms of usefulness for follow-up appointments or improving access to a specialist. However, only 12% of dog owners and 6% of cat owners have so far used telemedicine, whereas around 25% of owners who have never used it would be willing to use it in the future.

In recent years, animal owners have benefited from significant developments that have not only improved the care of their animal but have also led to changes in the way they can communicate with and get medical advice from their veterinarian. One option is remote patient care, including the option of telemedicine that can be offered in a variety of formats, such as telephone, video call or web streaming.  

However the question “Would owners use telemedicine, and what affects their choice whether to use it?” has rarely been asked

How dog and cat owners in general view telemedicine, and the extent to which they would use it, if offered, as an alternative to an in-person consultation, has not been the focus of empirical studies so far. Svenja Springer (Vetmeduni Vienna), Sandra Corr (University of Glasgow), Thomas Bøker Lund and Peter Sandøe (University of Copenhagen) have now investigated this by conducting a transnational questionnaire study among cat and dog owners in Austria, Denmark and the UK (N=2117). This questionnaire asked several new questions - not only the basic question about how many cat and dog owners have used or would use telemedicine in the future, but also whether the animal species (dog vs. cat), the number of visits to the veterinarian in the last 12 months, owners’ age or their attitudes towards telemedicine explain their past and potential future use of it.

Seeing the benefits, but not taking advantages of telemedicine

Although the research team found that owners see a potential risk of something being missed in a telemedicine consultation and had an expectation that telemedicine should cost less than a normal consultation, they found that owners with an increasing number of visits to a veterinarian more often make use of telemedicine. Further, the study identified that owners recognize several advantages, such as that telemedicine can help to decide whether the pet needs to see a veterinarian, may allow for convenient follow-up appointments and may improve access to a specialist.
 
Against the background that only 12% of dog owners and 6% of cat owners have used telemedicine, and around 25% of owners who have never used it would be willing to use it in the future, the authors of this study conclude that “results suggest that dog and cat owners recognize the potential benefits of telemedicine but that uptake of this service is low.” Further, they highlight that “this finding raises questions about the current availability of telemedicine but also about whether veterinarians believe that the potential benefits outweigh the risks and challenges and therefore make it available and promote it to their clients.”