Low-stress care gains traction as a safety strategy for vet teams

CURRENT BRIEF VERSION: A new JAVMA study highlighted by AVMA’s Veterinary Vertex podcast suggests that low-stress care can do more than improve the patient experience: it may also reduce staff injuries. In a cross-sectional survey of 113 small animal general practices in the U.S. and Canada, injury rates were lower at clinics where 100% of staff were certified in a stress-reducing care method or program. In the episode, “Calmer Pets, Safer Vets: The Power of Low-Stress Care,” lead author Ellen Everett said the project grew out of a practical question from general practice: why do some clinics seem to have far more bites and scratches than others, and could training be one of the reasons? She noted that serious patient-inflicted injuries can be life-threatening or career-ending, not just day-ruining. Everett and co-author Gene Pavlovsky discuss how practice-wide training, not just individual enthusiasm, appears tied to fewer bites and scratches in day-to-day care. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway is practical: low-stress handling is increasingly being framed as a workplace safety strategy as well as an animal welfare strategy. That aligns with longstanding guidance from AAHA and feline handling experts, which have emphasized that fear, anxiety, and forceful restraint can compromise care, increase risk to staff, and undermine the visit for both patients and pet parents. The podcast also underscored that this question came directly from real-world variation seen across practices, where some teams had formal Fear Free or Low Stress Handling training and others relied more on traditional restraint methods. In a field where bites and scratches remain common occupational injuries, the new findings give clinics another evidence-based argument for team-wide training and standardized handling protocols. (jaaha.kglmeridian.com)

What to watch: Expect more discussion around whether hospitals move from optional low-stress education to whole-team certification, onboarding standards, and formal injury-prevention protocols. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)