Survey on guidelines of responsible use in veterinary practice in Europe

This survey aims to gather information on existing guidelines for responsible use of antibiotics and awareness of these among veterinarians working in practice across Europe. Through this survey we will investigate resources available to veterinarians on antibiotic use and assess the level of uptake of these in everyday practice.

This survey will be anonymous and will  take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.

Before you decide whether to participate, it is important for you to understand why this survey is being conducted and what it involves. Please take a few minutes to read the information provided below.

This survey is part of the “European Network for Optimization of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment” (ENOVAT) project funded by the EU COST Action in which 32 countries are taking part. More information and the list of participating countries can be found at: https://enovat.eu/
The aim of this Action is to optimize veterinary antibiotic use with special emphasis on the development of antibiotic treatment guidelines and refinement of microbiological diagnostic procedures. For this purpose, this survey will primarily investigate the guidelines available to veterinarians at practice level across Europe and in which situations are these used to support antimicrobial selection for animal treatment and how often.

  
Your participation in the survey will increase our chances of achieving the goals of this project, which overall aims to improve the quality of veterinary diagnostics, treatment guidelines and improve veterinary antibiotic stewardship.

Do I have to take part?

Participation is voluntary and you do not have to take part in this study. If you feel that someone else in your organization is better placed to complete the survey, then please pass this on.

What will happen if I want to stop taking part?

You can withdraw at any time during the online survey. However, once the questionnaire is completed and submitted, we will not be to withdraw your information because the survey is run anonymously and we cannot identify your responses.

The data collected will be used only for this specific project and only a limited number of people will have access to the data. The data you provide will be stored securely on the Royal Veterinary College password protected computers for 7 years, in line with data protection requirements at the Royal Veterinary College.

The results from this survey will be used to identify extent of  of implementation of guidelines for responsible use of antibiotics in practice and what are the main gaps and challenges faced by veterinarians when selecting antibiotics for animal therapy to improve existing guidelines and recommendations. Once the data are collected and analysed, we aim to present the results in an open access journal and through the relevant veterinary press.
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact:

Ana Mateus

amateus@rvc.ac.uk

Royal Veterinary College

Hawkshead campus

Hawkshead Lane

Hatfield, Hertfordshire

AL9 7TA

UK

If we cannot answer your question or you have a complaint with which you feel you cannot come to us, then please contact the University of Liverpool Research Ethics and Integrity Office at ethics@liv.ac.uk
Please quote the study name ENOVAT, the researcher involved, and the details of the complaint you wish to make.