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
