A pilot study to identify perceived barrier and motivating factors of primary veterinarians in the USA for specialty referral and management of atopic dermatitis with allergen‐specific immunotherapy

Abstract

Background Allergen‐specific immunotherapy (ASIT) may decrease clinical signs and potential neosensitization in dogs with canine atopic dermatitis (cAD). Identification of barriers to referral and specialty level case management may improve clinical outcome and satisfaction for both clients and primary veterinarians. Hypothesis/Objectives The objective of this cross‐sectional, descriptive, survey‐based pilot study was to identify factors influencing a veterinarian’s decision to recommend dermatology referral and prescribe ASIT for management of cAD. Methods and materials An online survey was administered to small animal veterinarians through two veterinary associations in the western United States. Participants were asked to rate factors using Likert scales. Results Of 60 responses, 18 (30%) rarely or never recommended ASIT. The top three factors against recommending ASIT included successful pharmaceutical management (100%), clients’ concern for cost (94.4%) and veterinarians’ perceptions that immunotherapy is unable to reduce pharmacological dependency (83.4%). The top three motivating factors included concerns for glucocorticoid adverse effects (83.3%), animal/owner quality of life (77.8%) and risk of antimicrobial resistant infection (55.6%). Results of the secondary objective revealed that 19 of 60 (31.7%) respondents rarely or never refer atopic pets to a dermatologist, citing cost of referral, availability of serological testing, and perception of limited benefits as the greatest barriers. Conclusions and clinical significance Numerous factors appear to influence decisions to recommend referral or ASIT for management of pets with cAD. Further work is needed to determine if these can be generalized to larger populations with a goal of providing suggestions to bridge these gaps and improve outcomes.