Covid-19 is changing the landscape in veterinary care
Professor Jacky Reid, CEO of NewMetrica, thinks the post Covid19 world will be very different for animals and those who care for them.
As a result of the Lockdown, I’d expect to see an increase in the bond with, and appreciation for, companion animals as family members. For a large number of “shielded” households, the elderly and those who live alone, companion animals may have been their sole company through Lockdown.
More than ever before, companion animals have been lifesavers by mitigating against isolation and the human mental health issues associated with it.
These same people however may struggle or be reluctant to visit a vet surgery with their pet, inevitably driving further change in veterinary practice towards use of digital technology in preventive medicine and remote wellness monitoring.
Increased demand for telehealth, including remote therapeutic monitoring as an outcome measure, would allow veterinary practitioners to work more closely with owners than ever before, even while socially distanced. And by routinely monitoring pet wellbeing on an ongoing basis from home, problems can be identified at an earlier stage – to the benefit of animal, owner and vets.
I have spent my life working in and around animal health wellbeing, and the measurement of health-related quality of life in animals (HRQL). This led to the development of validated HRQL tools through NewMetrica.
It seems to me there has never been a greater need for valid & reliable outcome measures for vets than during a human pandemic. Reliable HRQL tools for animals may be the best way to justify the choice of therapeutics and surgical treatments for both clinical practice and the insurance industry.
For further information on NewMetrica, fully-validated HRQL tools for animals, please visit https://www.newmetrica.com/ or contact michael.maltby@newmetrica.com
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"I have been using VetMetrica for over 18 months now and have found it has revolutionised how I monitor patients and collect data. It is very easy to set up and the tools are intuitive and easy to follow
VetMetrica provides a great window into the animals’ quality of life and how it feels in its home environment. This has enabled me to better care for these patients and also collect good quality data for future publications. I cannot recommend VetMetrica enough. "
Andy Armitage, Greenside Vet Practice

Vetmetrica offers a valuable tool in assessing the impact of chronic pain on quality of life in dogs & cats. When treating chronic pain, most owners say that quality of life is paramount and they want their pet to be pain free. Vetmetrica engages owners and gives them the ability to measure quality of life.

"I found that a computer based scale run by Newmetrica... the same great people who gave us the Glasgow Pain Scales... is a wonderful way to get reliable quality of life scores. You can find it here at http://www.newmetrica.com/vetmetrica-hrql/. It generates a non-biased decision using a computer algorithum. Answers are weighted differently so it is harder for the caregiver to subconsciously manipulate the outcome. And they cannot go back and change their answers like they can on paper form" Dr Mike Petty

“Firstly I want to congratulate you and your team on the important work you are doing in the field of pain assessment and in particular the NewMetrica HRQL tool which I think is a real game changer!” – Leon Warne.
