Dataset Information

Determining a Welfare Prioritization for Horses Using a Delphi Method.

ABSTRACT: Equine welfare issues are receiving increasing attention in the UK, but welfare problems can arise from a wide range of causes. In order to identify the most important welfare concerns for horses, we used a Delphi method with 19 equine welfare experts. An initial list of 84 equine welfare issues was generated using an online discussion board and NVivo thematic analysis. Subsequently, experts ranked these welfare issues for perceived prevalence, severity and duration of suffering associated with each issue on a 6-point Likert scale. All issues with a mean score of 3 or above (n = 37) were included in subsequent rounds. Finally, a subset of experts attended a two-day workshop to determine the final priority list of welfare issues. The welfare issues perceived to be most prevalent were lack of biosecurity, delayed euthanasia, lack of owner knowledge of equine welfare needs, fear and stress from use, and obesity. The issues considered to cause greatest suffering for individual horses were delayed euthanasia, lack of recognition by owners of pain behaviour, large worm burdens, obesity and being fed unsuitable diets for equine feeding behaviour. These outcomes can help to focus research and education interventions on the most pressing welfare issues for horses.

SUBMITTER: Rioja-Lang FC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7222753 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Determining a Welfare Prioritization for Horses Using a Delphi Method.

Rioja-Lang Fiona C FC Connor Melanie M Bacon Heather H Dwyer Cathy M CM

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20200409 4

Equine welfare issues are receiving increasing attention in the UK, but welfare problems can arise from a wide range of causes. In order to identify the most important welfare concerns for horses, we used a Delphi method with 19 equine welfare experts. An initial list of 84 equine welfare issues was generated using an online discussion board and NVivo thematic analysis. Subsequently, experts ranked these welfare issues for perceived prevalence, severity and duration of suffering associated with ...[more]

PMID: 32283607

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Project description:Prioritization of animal welfare issues can help identify which areas most require research funding and raise awareness of best practices. A modified Delphi method was used to obtain expert opinion on the highest priority welfare issues for UK farmed livestock. Fifty-eight UK-based experts were recruited onto the study, with a minimum of 3 years experience of working with either cattle, pigs, poultry, or small ruminants (12-16 experts per group). Experts were chosen to represent a broad range of opinions. Two rounds of surveys were conducted online using Online Survey, and the final round was an in-person workshop with 21 experts. In the first survey, experts were provided with a comprehensive list of species-specific welfare issues derived from the literature. Participants were asked to score each welfare issue, for (i) severity, (ii) duration, and (iii) prevalence on a 6-point Likert scale. The results of the first survey were reviewed and the welfare issues which scored a neutral-to-high response (scores 3-6) were carried forward. In round 2, participants were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the rankings that were made from the results of round 1. The final stage of the process was a workshop, which consisted of a combination of group exercises and discussions, to reach the final consensus. Welfare priority lists were divided into two categories: severity/duration, and prevalence, to identify the priority welfare issues affecting individual animals and the population, respectively. Across all farmed species common concerns were inadequate or inappropriate nutrition, inability of stockpeople to recognize or treat welfare issues (such as pain or behavioral problems), lameness, chronic or endemic health issues, euthanasia and mortality and morbidity of neonates. Specific concerns related to behavioral restriction and damaging or abnormal behavior in pigs, poultry and dairy animals, inadequate housing for pigs and poultry, consequences of breeding decisions in pigs and poultry, and lack of access to veterinary care in sheep and beef. This Delphi process resulted in consensus on the most significant welfare challenges faced by UK livestock species and can help to guide future research and education priority decisions.

Project description:BackgroundRenin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi) are not re-initiated for almost a quarter of patients who suffered acute kidney injury 6 months after discharge. This discontinuation might be partly explained by the nephrotoxicity of these medications, yet they remain of benefit, especially for patients with heart failure.ObjectiveTo determine the factors deemed by clinicians to influence RASi re-initiation and set threshold values for important safety parameters.DesignThree-round modified online Delphi survey.SettingThe study was conducted in Quebec, Canada.ParticipantsTwenty clinicians from nephrology, intensive care medicine, and internal medicine.MeasurementsThe factors' importance was rated on 4-point Likert-type scale, ranging from "not important" to "very important" by the panelists.MethodsWe conducted a brief literature review to uncover possible influencing factors followed by a 3-round modified Delphi survey to establish a consensus on the importance of these factors.ResultsWe recruited 20 clinicians (7 nephrologists, 3 internists, and 10 intensive care physicians). We created a list of 25 factors, 15 of which met consensus. Eleven of these factors, including serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, and acute kidney injury (AKI) stage, were deemed as important while 4, such as responsibility ambiguity and absence of feedback, were deemed as not important. The majority of the 10 factors which did not meet consensus were related to the clinical setting, such as a pharmacist follow-up and the required time to ensure optimal RASi re-initiation.LimitationsQuebec clinicians' agreement might not reflect the opinion of the rest of Canada. The survey measures clinicians' belief rather than their actual practice.ConclusionRenin-angiotensin system inhibitors re-initiation is a rather complex concept which encompasses several factors. Our research uncovered some of these factors which may be used to develop guidelines on optimal RASi re-initiation.

Dataset Information

Determining a Welfare Prioritization for Horses Using a Delphi Method.

Publications

Determining a Welfare Prioritization for Horses Using a Delphi Method.

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