Állatorvosi hivatás az állattartó szerint

Abstract

Background: One of the major stressors for veterinarians is animal owners and communication with them. However, we can reduce this stress factor by knowing what to expect from pet owners and how to deal with potential emerging situations. If we know that the anxiety or distrust of pet owners may be due to their lack of knowledge, or we know what influences their satisfaction. With proper communication, we can reduce both the owner's irritation and we can even turn the interaction into a positive one. Objectives: The aim of the research is to assess the knowledge and opinions of Hungarian animal keepers about the education of veterinarians and certain conditions of veterinary work. Furthermore to examine how their knowledge and opinions influence their satisfaction about veterinary care. Materials and Methods: The survey was performed with an online question- naire and 2311 useful answers were received. Because of this large sample it is possible to reach comprehensive conclusions. The questionnaire consisted of 17 questions, 5 of which related to the respondent's demographic data. Results and Discussion: 64% of the respondents do not know that there is only one veterinary university in Hungary, but 55% know that veterinary training lasts 5.5 years. According to 67.3% of respondents, there is a shortage of veteri- narians in Hungary. People who believe there is a shortage of veterinarians are less satisfied with veterinary care than those who believe there is no shortage. Animal owners' income has no effect on their satisfaction. Based on the results, we can see that the owner’s knowledge about veterinary training and work is still incomplete. Also, the animal keepers' knowledge of the profession has an impact on their satisfaction. We can use these results to educate the owners and improve our communication with them. This way, we can influence the opinion of pet owners, increase their satisfaction, reduce the stress on us and increase the income of our practice.