While veterinary professionals may be used to hearing a variety of barks and meows in the clinic, a recent survey reveals how noise can pose challenges both to staff and patients.
Conducted by animal housing solutions company, CASCO Pet, a survey of more than 650 veterinary professionals working in clinics that use stainless steel kennels provides insights into how housing material impacts the practice.
Seventy-five percent of the respondents find “excessive noise” to be a significant challenge with stainless steel kennels, and how it can be detrimental to patient health. Some key findings include:
- Almost nine in 10 said they had witnessed patient anxiety (89.43 percent)
- Nearly a quarter experienced instances of animal injury (24.18 percent)
- Over one in five noted excessive noise extend recovery time for patients (22.35 percent)
Additionally, the survey results show how noise also impacts practice staff, with more than half (52.84 percent) of those who reported excessive noise as a challenge saying it resulted in staff stress. More than a quarter (26.42 percent) also reported facing challenging working conditions. Further, almost one in five (19.30 percent) said they had suffered an injury as a result of noise challenges.
“These findings lay bare the true scale of stainless steel kenneling’s excessive noise problem for pet patients and practice staff,” says Matthew Bubear, CASCO Pet CEO. “Clanging, resonant and disruptive, stainless steel kennels can significantly exacerbate fear, stress and anxiety and impact recovery.”
Noise reduction in clinics was a top priority for more than 86 percent of practice using stainless steel kennels, according to the survey. Ease of cleaning (80.62 percent) and reducing patient stress (77.64 percent) were also reported important, while over half (55.68 percent) of the respondents cited temperature issues as a challenge.
For more information, visit the CASCO Pet website.