Recent study examines emergency and specialty veterinary care in 2023

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Instinct Science, a company aimed at helping veterinary hospitals evolve with technology, released its "The State of Emergency & Specialty Veterinary Care in 2023,” a comprehensive survey and analysis of 277 emergency (ER) and specialty veterinary professionals. The study examines shifts in workload, morale, team retention, compensation, and technology adoption, to understand the ever-changing dynamics of the veterinary landscape in 2023.¹

Some of the top findings include:¹

The overwhelming majority of ER and specialty hospitals are facing…

• Staffing shortages (86%)
• Employee mental health challenges (83%)
• Increased patient volumes (54%)

Other finding include:¹

• 52% of emergency and specialty hospitals reported hiring relief veterinarians to work in the practice.
• 67% of hospitals increased overtime to handle workload.

“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,” said Caleb Frankel, VMD, founder and CEO of Instinct.¹ “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.”

To combat these challenges, technology can often alleviate certain areas of workload. Instinct found that 38% of hospitals adopted digital treatment sheets and 32% used client communications platforms. Overall, 75% of emergency and specialty staff saw positive improvements from adopting new technology in 2023, including improved efficiency, increased accessibility for clients, and/or enhanced patient monitoring.¹

Overall Instinct’s survey found that team expansion, technology-related investments, and time off for mental health and wellness have the strongest correlation with higher employee morale and retention rates.¹

Reference

New study by Instinct: The State of Emergency and Specialty Veterinary Care in 2023. Instinct Science. September 13, 2023. Accessed October 6, 2023. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230913862061/en/New-Study-by-Instinct-The-State-of-Emergency-and-Specialty-Veterinary-Care-in-2023