Assessing US Small Animal Veterinary Clinic Adaptations and Their Impacts on Workforce COVID-19 Preparedness and Response

Abstract

Veterinary personnel are an essential yet often underappreciated workforce, critical for zoonotic disease prevention and response efforts that impact human health. During the early COVID-19 pandemic, the veterinary workforce supported emergency responses by promoting zoonotic disease risk communication, sharing animal health expertise, and boosting laboratory surge capacity against SARS-CoV-2 in animals and people. However, small animal veterinary workers (SAVWs), similar to healthcare workers, faced organizational challenges in providing clinical care to family pets, including those susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. We analyzed a cross-sectional survey of 1,204 SAVWs in the United States to assess veterinary clinic adaptations and their associations with SAVWs' self-perceived readiness, willingness, and ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as a workforce. SAVWs who worked fewer hours than before the pandemic (ready, OR 0.59; willing, OR 0.66; able, OR 0.52) or used personal protective equipment less frequently for protection in the clinic (ready, OR 0.69; willing, OR 0.69; able, OR 0.64) felt less ready, willing, and able to respond to COVID-19. SAVWs working remotely felt less ready (OR 0.46) but not less willing or able to respond to COVID-19. Lastly, SAVWs with dependents felt less ready (OR 0.67) and able (OR 0.49) to respond to COVID-19 than SAVWs without dependents. Our findings highlight the importance of proactively managing work schedules, having access to personal protective equipment, and addressing caregiving concerns to enhance SAVW preparedness and response outcomes. SAVWs are knowledgeable, motivated personnel who should be integrated into local public health emergency preparedness and response plans, supporting a One Health framework that unites multidisciplinary teams to respond to future zoonotic disease threats.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemic response; Public health preparedness/response; Ready Willing Able framework; Veterinary clinic operations; Veterinary workforce.

Figure.

Adjusted odds ratios for small animal veterinary workforce adaptations and characteristics contributing to ready, willing, and able preparedness and response perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. All adjusted models are controlled for hours worked, personal protective equipment use, remote vs onsite work, clinic status (for employees and the public), job title, years in practice, job region, clinic leadership role, essential worker status, gender, age, and responsibility for dependents. Due to rounding and missing data, percents may not add up to 100%. ^aCI upper limits exceed 2.0 in regression models; ^bP<.005; ^cP<.01; ^dP<.05. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PPE, personal protective equipment; SAVW, small animal veterinary worker.