Prevalence and associated factors of injury in bovine practitioners in the United States and Canada

Abstract

A cross-sectional online survey was administered to American Association of Bovine Practitioner members to determine the prevalence of injuries to veterinarians due to performing rectal palpation or other common work-related injuries among bovine practitioners. Basic demographic information was collected on veterinarians related to their time in practice, gender, physical attributes that may be risk factors for injury, characteristics of their practices, and geographic information. From the surveys, 1158 responses were analyzed. Seventy-seven percent of respondents experienced pain while rectally palpating cattle, of which 42% reported severe pain. Multiple locations were reported as the source of pain (80% arm/elbow, 70% shoulder). Fifty-two percent reported that pain limited performance slightly, and 7% moderately or severely. On average, pain started 12 years after beginning practice. Years in practice, herd size, and changing palpating arm due to pain were associated with experiencing pain. Surgical treatment of the practitioner was positively correlated with increasing age, a higher average number of beef herds visited daily, increased average number of palpations daily, the use of a stall for palpation, use of analgesia, and predominantly using the left hand. Pain for practitioners during bovine rectal palpation is a common occurrence. Veterinary students as well as practitioners should be educated about ways to mitigate these potential occupational hazards, and further research should be conducted on how practices can be modified to reduce these outcomes.