Veterinary surveys show fast tech adoption, slower staffing relief

Veterinary medicine’s technology shift is accelerating, but the newest survey data suggests the bigger story is how unevenly that relief is landing across practice settings. Instinct Science said on March 11, 2026, that its latest surveys found broad adoption of digital tools and rising AI use in general practice, alongside persistent staffing shortages in specialty, emergency, and urgent care. In general practice, 91% of respondents said they had adopted or changed at least one technology in the past year, and 48% reported using AI in some capacity. (globenewswire.com)

The findings build on a trend that has been forming for at least two years. In a 2024 survey conducted by Digitail with AAHA, 39.2% of 3,968 veterinary professionals said they were already using AI tools in practice, and nearly 70% of those users said they used them daily or weekly. That earlier survey also found substantial caution around reliability and accuracy, especially for diagnostic and treatment uses, which helps explain why current adoption appears concentrated in lower-risk, high-friction tasks like documentation, transcription, and workflow support. (prnewswire.com)

Instinct’s new general practice report, based on 763 veterinary professionals, paints a picture of a profession that is adapting in practical ways. Digital diagnostics are now used by 90% of practices, 75% use digital client communication tools, and nearly half are experimenting with AI. Among AI users, almost three-quarters said the technology improved efficiency. The most common uses were medical record and SOAP note creation, followed by diagnostic assistance. On the workforce side, 52% said they did not experience significant turnover last year, but 30% reported losing nurses, technicians, or assistants, and 70% said better compensation would most improve retention. (instinct.vet)

The specialty, emergency, and urgent care picture is more strained. Instinct reported that 85% of respondents named staffing shortages as their top challenge, up from 78% a year earlier. Even though 55% of practices hired more full-time team members in 2025, nearly one-third still said they were working more hours, suggesting demand is still outpacing staffing gains. Client financial limitations also emerged as a major pressure point, cited by 79% of respondents. At the same time, respondents did report some operational gains from technology: 67% said new tools improved efficiency, 57% said patient care improved, more than half said technology reduced treatment or diagnostic errors, and 25% said it helped capture additional revenue. Digital treatment sheets had the biggest efficiency impact, while AI scribes posted the largest jump in adoption since 2024. (globenewswire.com)

Industry commentary around these shifts is increasingly focused on governance, not just adoption. Digitail has argued that practices may need a dedicated internal lead for AI implementation as tools spread across scheduling, records, communication, and analytics. Meanwhile, a 2026 Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine survey of ACVIM and ECVIM-CA members found routine AI use among 42% of ACVIM respondents and 33% of ECVIM-CA respondents, with AI-enhanced scribes the most common tool. Cornell’s veterinary college has also highlighted growing academic momentum around AI, pointing to a special AJVR issue and a broader push to define appropriate use cases in clinical practice. Taken together, that suggests the next phase may be less about whether practices try AI and more about who sets guardrails, training, and accountability. (digitail.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, these surveys reinforce that technology strategy and workforce strategy can’t be separated anymore. AI and cloud-based systems appear to be helping with documentation load, workflow consistency, and some error reduction, which matters in a profession still dealing with burnout, hiring friction, and affordability concerns. But the data also suggests that digital adoption alone won’t fix culture, retention, or coverage gaps. Flexible scheduling, compensation, and operational design remain central, especially as fewer than 10% of general practices still rely on a traditional fixed schedule. For practice leaders, the practical question is no longer whether to modernize, but how to do it without adding new risk, uneven training, or unrealistic expectations for already stretched teams. (globenewswire.com)

What to watch: Over the next year, watch for more benchmarking around AI scribes, cloud-based practice systems, and digital treatment tools, as well as more discussion from professional groups and regulators about oversight, data quality, and responsible clinical use. If economic pressure on pet parents continues and visit growth stays soft into mid-2026, practices will likely be under even more pressure to prove that new technology improves both team sustainability and financial performance. (aaha.org)