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Telehealth and Animal Welfare – Pros, Cons and Implications for Veterinary Patients
Recorded Presentations
Speakers
Dr. Heather Bacon BSc (Hons), BVSc, CertZooMed MRCVS
Jan Robinson, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario
Dr. Lori Teller Texas A & M University (for AVMA)
2019 CVMA Global Issues Forum Panelists
Dr. Heather Bacon BSc (Hons), BVSc, CertZooMed MRCVS
Telehealth and Animal Welfare: Pros, Cons and Implications for Veterinary Patients – a UK perspective
Telemedicine may be defined as the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology, and is of increasing use within the global veterinary profession for education, diagnosis, and treatment of veterinary patients. This novel tool in our veterinary toolkit brings great potential to share expertise, and to enable access to veterinary education and services in communities that have previously been under-served. However this new approach also brings with it new ethical and animal welfare challenges for our profession. This presentation will outline the UK experience of telemedicine, areas of concern for the profession and the veterinary ethical and animal welfare implications for the application of telehealth to our existing portfolio of veterinary services.
Jan Robinson, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario
The increasing introduction of telemedicine applications to the provision of veterinary services is important to the public and to the profession. Regulators of veterinary medicine worldwide, as important contributors to the safe access to quality veterinary medicine, are considering carefully the aspects of their role in this evolution. The College of Veterinarians of Ontario has been an early contributor to the regulatory thinking and influence on veterinary tele-practice. This presentation will share the history, the expectations, and continuing challenges in relation to practice risks and necessary safeguards in this delivery space.
Dr. Lori Teller Texas A & M University (for AVMA)
Telehealth is an approach to delivering veterinary services that can offer benefits for animal owners, animal patients, and veterinarians by facilitating communication, diagnostics, treatments and client education, while expanding access for veterinary consumers. The veterinary community in the United States has been engaged in passionate dialogue about the impact of telehealth on animal health and welfare, with the discussion exploring practical and regulatory topics such as ensuring patient safety, role of the veterinary team, application of the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR), licensure, liability, and how to effectively build telehealth into a practice. This presentation will explore these topics, with a focus on how some veterinarians in small animal and food animal practices in the U.S. incorporate telehealth to deliver veterinary medical services, AVMA resources for veterinarians interested in integrating virtual care in their practices, and the latest legislative and regulatory guidance in this area.