Roles and opportunities for technicians in using digital imaging technology to perform necropsies

Abstract

With the ever-changing demands of food animal practices, the roles oftechnicians within them are evolving as well. In population medicine, timely and accurate postmortem diagnoses can result in earlier detection of disease outbreaks and opportunities to make treatment and management changes. Digital postmortem examinations have been used with great success in the feedlot industry, and advances in digital imaging technology now allow for the capture and transfer of images of advanced diagnostic quality without being cost-prohibitive. Technicians have the opportunity, through assisting in the collection of necropsy data using digital imaging technology, to greatly influence the number of animals being necropsied annually by providing cost-effective options for producers. The details provided herein are meant to assist technicians in using digital imaging technology to perform necropsies in a consistent and standardized fashion while outlining opportunities for other uses of digital imaging technology.