Perceptions of Veterinarians and Veterinary Students on What Risk Factors Constitute Medical Disputes and Comparisons between 2014 and 2022

Abstract

This study compared the risk perceptions of medical disputes among veterinarians and veterinary students in Taiwan between 2014 and 2022. Online validity-tested questionnaires were used to collect data, with 106 (73 veterinarians and 33 students) and 157 (126 veterinarians and 31 students) surveys collected in 2014 and 2022, respectively. Respondents would be asked to rate their perceptions on how likely each risk factor constitutes a medical dispute according to their past experiences on a five-point Likert scale from 1 to 5: “Very unlikely, unlikely, neutral, likely, very likely.” The results showed that overall risk perceptions increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2014, with the top risk factors being attitudes during interactions and complaint management among experienced veterinarians. In contrast, students considered medical skills and clients’ perspectives as the top two risk factors, with complaints management ranking as the least significant factor. The findings suggest that effective communication and complaint management are crucial in preventing medical disputes, highlighting the importance of developing these skills in young veterinarians and veterinary students to reduce medical disputes. The study also recommends increasing practical experiences of medical disputes and complaint management in veterinary education to bridge the gap between the perceptions of experienced veterinarians and students.

Are They Thinking Differently? The Perceptions and Differences in Medical Disputes between Veterinarians and Clients

“…The study adopted the validity- and reliability-tested, semi-structured questionnaire developed by Hsu (2014) [ 33 ], which was modified using a literature review, and then by focus groups of experts, professors, and experienced veterinarians. Furthermore, this study shares thematic continuity with the research published by Chen et al [ 24 ]. Consequently, elements of their questionnaire have been incorporated, serving as a portion of the questionnaire content in the current investigation.…”

“…There are three parts to the questionnaire: the first part was about demographic characteristics, including age, gender, stakeholders (veterinarian or client), the experience of medical disputes, and the outcomes of medical disputes. The second part focused on assessing the perceptions of risk factors for inducing medical disputes, comprising twenty-three risk factor questions that belong to six dimensions [ 24 ]: medical skills, modes of communication, the attitudes of stakeholders during interactions, medical expenses, complaints management, and clients’ perspectives (see Table 1 ). The third part was about the measures of perceptions of possible solutions to reduce medical dispute risks, including fifteen solutions and one open-ended question.…”

“…For instance, the thematic analysis of numerous veterinary medical disputes initially attributed to technical failures revealed that they mainly resulted from professional conduct deficiencies [ 9 ]. The key concerns included shortcomings in stakeholders’ attitudes (trustworthiness and honesty), medical skills (high-quality care), effective client communication (appropriate methods and complaint management), and equitable medical expenses charged to clients [ 10 , 14 , 24 ].…”

“…Consequently, veterinarians have advocated enhancing their abilities to meet clients’ expectations [ 4 , 11 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Although it has traditionally been undervalued, the significance of communication and interpersonal skills is increasingly acknowledged in veterinary medicine, which may better equip veterinarians to confront anticipated challenges [ 6 , 7 , 24 , 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Nonetheless, skillful communication necessitates a thorough understanding of the expectations of the veterinarian and the clients. To date, a limited number of studies have attempted to contrast the perspectives of veterinarians and clients regarding communication and the factors contributing to medical disputes [ 4 , 7 , 24 , 33 , 34 ]. Consequently, it is crucial to devote more research efforts to enhance our comprehension.…”