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1. Improving dairy cattle welfare : examining Motivational Interviewing, veterinary communication and the herd health advisory paradigm

Author

Bard, Alison M. and Reyher, Kristen

Subjects
636.2, Motivational Interviewing, Herd health, Veterinary communication, Behaviour change, Motivation, Self-determination Theory
Abstract

Being a veterinarian is not just about science and methodology. In the dairy industry, encouraging and motivating clients to improve animal husbandry and adopt veterinary advice remains a critical challenge to improving animal health and welfare. Hence, veterinary communication - the bridge between veterinarian and farmer that enables the passage of ideas and advice on implementing change, one that can inspire motivation, arouse action and enhance confidence – is at the heart of farm animal well-being. At present, there is a dearth of research exploring communication in the pursuit of behaviour change in the herd health advisory context. This deficit in understanding means there is little insight for advisors to support and inform their professional services to encourage behaviour change, nor is there theoretical basis for educators and trainers to tailor education packages to the specific needs and intricacies of this context. This thesis presents research aiming to illuminate and enhance the intricacies of the herd health advisory paradigm, exploring how cattle veterinarians currently communicate in the pursuit of behaviour change, the factors implicit in the enactment of change for herd health and whether Motivational Interviewing (MI- an evidence-based communication methodology developed in the medical sciences) can be adopted in this context to facilitate greater farmer self-determination in the pursuit of herd health management. Research findings suggest the MI methodology meets a skills gap in current veterinary communication and is congruent with veterinarian and farmer desires for the herd health advisory paradigm. Furthermore, feasibility testing of brief MI training suggests veterinarians can learn and apply MI within herd health consultations, with resulting farmer responses predictive of better advisory engagement and on-farm behaviour change outcomes. Drawing together these research findings, recommendations are made for MI to enhance veterinary communication with clients both within this research context and wider veterinary services.

Published
2018

3. Validation, visibility, vagueness and variation: A qualitative assessment of existing veterinary guidelines for antimicrobial use in cattle and sheep in the UK.

Author

Best, Caroline M., Bard, Alison M., Rees, Gwen M., and Reyher, Kristen K.

Subjects
*ANIMAL disease control, *FOOD animals, *VETERINARY medicine, *CATTLE, *SHEEP, *CATTLE prices
Abstract

Antimicrobials are essential in veterinary medicine to treat and control bacterial disease in animals. Their prudent use in food-producing animals has been encouraged to reduce the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. National and international guidelines for responsible antimicrobial use have been developed as tools to guide and rationalise antimicrobial prescribing decisions by veterinarians and usage decisions by farmers. Yet, there is little understanding of whether these existing guidelines are fit for purpose. Accordingly, this study rigorously assessed 128 veterinary guidelines for antimicrobial use in ruminants in the UK, following established qualitative methodologies. Findings revealed four pertinent themes: validation of the veterinarian as the prescriber, visibility of responsible use realities, vagueness in interpretation and variation in directing behaviour. These themes encompassed the roles and responsibilities of the veterinarian and the realities of prescribing scenarios, alongside concerns relating to the specificity within and variation between guidelines. Resultant recommendations to inform and support the future development of guidelines include establishing species-specific and disease-specific guidelines, expanding guidelines to include disease prevention measures, including definitions to resolve vagueness and promoting congruence in interpretation, encouraging the development of practice-level guidelines to endorse collaboration and ownership, and fostering active working between stakeholders to align priorities and messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2023
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5. Dairy herd health management activities in relation to training of veterinarians in Motivational Interviewing

Author

Svensson, Catarina, Wickström, Hans, Forsberg, Lars, Betnér, Staffan, Reyher, Kristen K, and Bard, Alison M

Abstract

Communication has been identified as one constraint for cattle veterinarians to act as proactive health consultants. Motivational Interviewing (MI), an evidence-based client-centered communication methodology, may therefore be a useful tool in veterinary herd health management (VHHM). The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate associations between training in MI and different measures of performance in VHHM. MI skills of 36 Swedish cattle veterinarians randomly assigned to two groups - MI veterinarians (n = 18) who had received six-months training in MI and control veterinarians (n = 18) who were not trained - were assessed using the MI Treatment Integrity coding system. Skills were categorized as untrained, trained_poor, trained_near moderate and trained_moderate. Veterinarians each visited two to six cattle farms for VHHM consultations and revisited the same farms three to six months later to document implementation of recommendations. A gamma model and logistic or ordered logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between MI training and performance measured as: a) proportion of consultations resulting in written herd health plans, b) proportion of recommended measures fully or partially implemented, c) Likert scores of different estimates of client satisfaction and d) total time during 6 months allocated to VHHM visits on cattle farms. We found no evidence of any significant effects of MI training on the eight performance variables analyzed. However, a pattern of numerically higher values (better performance) in trained veterinarians with poor or moderate MI skills than in untrained veterinarians was observed in most variables. Clients were highly satisfied with veterinarians’ attitude, competence and time efficiency. Farms implemented a median of 66.7% (interquartile range: 50–100) of the measures partially or fully. Veterinarians allocated little time to VHHM visits (median: 2.2; interquartile range: 0.65–4.1 h per week of full-time work within cattle). Veterinarians with moderate skills spent 2.14 times more time on VHHM visits than untrained veterinarians, but the confidence interval was wide (0.88–5.21). The pattern of numerically higher values in trained veterinarians supported findings from other studies in the same project indicating a positive effect of MI training on VHHM. Our observations suggest a considerable potential to increase veterinarians’ engagement in VHHM.

Published
2022

10. Improving dairy cattle welfare : examining Motivational Interviewing, veterinary communication and the herd health advisory paradigm

Author

Bard, Alison M and Bard, Alison M

Abstract

Being a veterinarian is not just about science and methodology. In the dairy industry, encouraging and motivating clients to improve animal husbandry and adopt veterinary advice remains a critical challenge to improving animal health and welfare. Hence, veterinary communication - the bridge between veterinarian and farmer that enables the passage of ideas and advice on implementing change, one that can inspire motivation, arouse action and enhance confidence – is at the heart of farm animal well-being. At present, there is a dearth of research exploring communication in the pursuit of behaviour change in the herd health advisory context. This deficit in understanding means there is little insight for advisors to support and inform their professional services to encourage behaviour change, nor is there theoretical basis for educators and trainers to tailor education packages to the specific needs and intricacies of this context. This thesis presents research aiming to illuminate and enhance the intricacies of the herd health advisory paradigm, exploring how cattle veterinarians currently communicate in the pursuit of behaviour change, the factors implicit in the enactment of change for herd health and whether Motivational Interviewing (MI- an evidence-based communication methodology developed in the medical sciences) can be adopted in this context to facilitate greater farmer self-determination in the pursuit of herd health management. Research findings suggest the MI methodology meets a skills gap in current veterinary communication and is congruent with veterinarian and farmer desires for the herd health advisory paradigm. Furthermore, feasibility testing of brief MI training suggests veterinarians can learn and apply MI within herd health consultations, with resulting farmer responses predictive of better advisory engagement and on-farm behaviour change outcomes. Drawing together these research findings, recommendations are made for MI

Published
2018

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