Veterinary surveys show fast tech adoption, persistent staffing strain: full analysis

Veterinary medicine’s digital shift appears to be accelerating, but not in a vacuum. New survey data released by Instinct Science in March 2026 suggests general practices, specialty hospitals, emergency clinics, and urgent care teams are embracing AI and other digital tools at a rapid pace, even as staffing shortages, retention pressure, and client affordability remain stubborn operational problems. In general practice alone, 91% of respondents said they had changed or adopted at least one new technology in the past year, and nearly half said they’re already using AI in some form. (instinct.vet)

The findings come from two separate Instinct surveys: an inaugural 2026 State of General Practice Veterinary Care report based on responses from 763 veterinary professionals, and the company’s third annual survey focused on specialty, emergency, and urgent care settings. Together, they paint a picture of a profession that is no longer debating digitization, but trying to decide which tools are actually worth integrating into daily work. Instinct’s general-practice report also points to a meaningful workplace shift: fewer than 10% of practices still operate on a traditional full-time, fixed schedule, while 40% offer part-time roles and 25% have moved to a four-day work week. (instinct.vet)

On the technology side, the topline numbers are striking. Instinct found that 90% of general practices use digital diagnostic and imaging equipment, 75% use digital client communication tools, and 48% use AI in some capacity. Among AI users, nearly three-quarters said the tools made them more efficient, with the most common applications centered on documentation and diagnostic support. In specialty and emergency settings, digital treatment sheets had the biggest reported efficiency impact, followed by cloud-based practice management software and AI scribes, which the company said posted the largest jump in adoption since 2024. More than half of those respondents said technology reduced treatment or diagnostic errors, and 25% said it helped capture additional revenue. (instinct.vet)

What hasn’t changed is the labor picture. Instinct’s specialty, emergency, and urgent care survey found staffing shortages were still the industry’s top challenge, cited by 85% of respondents, up from 78% a year earlier. Even though 55% of practices said they hired more full-time team members in 2025, nearly one-third still reported working more hours, suggesting hiring hasn’t kept pace with caseload or administrative burden. That broader tension is consistent with AAHA retention research, which found 30% of respondents planned to leave their current role and identified flexibility, resources, wellbeing support, and fair compensation as key factors in staying. (globenewswire.com)

Industry commentary around AI has been moving in the same direction: less novelty, more operational pragmatism. AAHA has been offering continuing education focused on using AI to improve care and efficiency, while veterinary media and association coverage over the past two years have increasingly framed AI as a workflow tool rather than a futuristic add-on. A 2024 Digitail-AAHA survey highlighted by AAHA found that 39.2% of veterinary professionals were already using AI tools in practice, making Instinct’s 48% general-practice figure look less like an outlier and more like a continuation of an upward trend. (pathlms.com)

For veterinary professionals, the more important story may be what these surveys say about why technology is being adopted. This doesn’t read like a simple modernization push. It looks more like a coping strategy for a profession trying to preserve clinical capacity while reducing friction in documentation, communication, and staffing. AVMA’s 2025 economic report found 76.5% of represented practices had practice management software in place in 2024, and most owners said the pace of digital transformation felt about right, not too fast. That suggests the profession may be entering a more mature phase of adoption, where the question is no longer whether to digitize, but how to do it without adding complexity or undermining team trust. (ebusiness.avma.org)

There are also warning signs beneath the optimistic efficiency metrics. Instinct identified client financial limitations as a newly prominent pressure point, cited by 79% of specialty, emergency, and urgent care respondents. If affordability concerns deepen, practices may face a harder balancing act: investing in technology to improve workflow while serving pet parents who are increasingly price sensitive. And while stress and compassion fatigue reportedly declined from 83% in 2023 to 70% in 2026 in Instinct’s specialty and emergency tracking, that’s still a high baseline for a workforce already dealing with retention risk. (globenewswire.com)

Why it matters: For clinics and hospitals, these surveys reinforce that technology strategy and workforce strategy can’t be separated. AI scribes, cloud-based systems, and digital treatment tools may help reclaim time, but they won’t solve retention on their own. Practices that pair technology adoption with schedule flexibility, clearer workflows, training, and stronger team support are more likely to see sustained gains than those treating software as a standalone fix. (globenewswire.com)

What to watch: The next phase to watch is whether veterinary groups, software vendors, and associations can turn early AI enthusiasm into durable standards for implementation, training, and ROI, especially as affordability pressures and staffing shortages continue to shape what practices can realistically adopt. (globenewswire.com)