Staffing shortages have been an ongoing problem across the veterinary landscape, including the emergency and specialty sectors.
A recent study by veterinary software company, Instinct, presents the current trends in in this sector. The study, which surveyed more than 250 respondents, revealed a significant 75 percent of emergency and specialty staff experienced positive improvements after adopting new technology. These improvements included increased efficiency, greater client accessibility, and enhanced patient monitoring.
Other findings from the report include:
• In 2023, more than half (52 percent) of emergency and specialty hospitals reported hiring relief veterinarians to work in the practice, while 67 percent of hospitals increased overtime to handle workload.
• In light of rising patient volumes, workloads, and wait times seen across the industry, many emergency and specialty hospitals have adopted digital treatment sheets (38 percent), cloud-based PIMs/EMR (36 percent), or client communications platforms (32 percent) in the last year.
• Urgent cares and smaller emergency hospitals are leading the way with the highest rates of implementing workflow improvements (60 percent), staff training (40 percent), mental health days (40 percent), and pricing changes (40 percent), as well as new diagnostic/imaging technology (47 percent) and wearable devices (33 percent).
The survey reveals team expansion, technology investments, and providing time off for mental health and wellness have the most significant impact on employee morale and retention rates. Hospitals that implemented new technology in the past year and offered mental wellness days saw a remarkable 10-15 percent improvement in employee retention rates.
Among various veterinary technologies, cloud-based Practice Information Management Systems (PIMs) and digital treatment sheets have the most substantial impact on employee retention. Notably, in hospitals with zero turnover in the past 12 months, 47 percent had implemented new cloud-based PIMs, while 59 percent had adopted digital treatment sheets within the last year.
“We constantly hear that traditional veterinary surveys have brought valuable perspectives to the industry, but because they are often weighted toward general practices, they don’t quite hit the mark for the growing emergency and specialty sector,” says Dr. Caleb Frankel, VMD, founder and CEO of Instinct. “So, for our inaugural ‘State of Emergency and Specialty Veterinary Care’ report, we’re aiming to share what we’re learning and shed light on how hospitals are evolving amid cascading challenges.”
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