Development, initial validation and reliability testing of a web-based, generic feline health-related quality-of-life instrument
Journal of Feline Medicine and Aurgery. Noble,C., Wiseman-Orr, L., Scott,M., Nolan, A., Reid, J. (2018)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1098612X18758176?journalCode=jfma
Following on from the successful development of our validated health-related quality of life (HRQL) instrument for dogs, we are delighted to add a feline HRQL instrument to our portfolio of animal pain and welfare tools. Advances in veterinary medicine have made a considerable impact on cat health and longevity, and the prevalence of chronic disease has increased accordingly, causing behavioural changes indicative of a significant reduction in welfare and HRQL. Vetmetrica HRQL is designed to tell clinicians, researchers and owners how a cat feels about its circumstances - its quality of life. The above paper describes the development of Vetmetrica HRQL for cats and provides initial evidence for its validity and reliability. This is an exciting development - firstly, because the management and assessment of chronic disease in cats is becoming increasingly important as longevity increases, and secondly, because Vetmetrica HRQL for cats offers significant advantages over the tools that currently exist.
Several disease specific instruments are available (cardiac disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic kidney disease (CKD), osteoarthritis). However, these are clinical metrology instruments, focusing exclusively on functional changes imposed by disease, whereas the measurement of HRQL adopts a more holistic approach assessing both emotional and physical well-being. Disease specific instruments are also limited when there are one or more comorbid conditions presenting in the cat - as is often the case, and here we require the use of the generic instrument to capture the multidimensional impact of disease on quality of life.
Additionally, recognising chronic pain and disease and providing adequate analgesia and treatment is paramount in the management of health in animals. The effects of long- term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on older animals can have a detrimental effect on renal, hepatic, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. Furthermore, the lack of suitable drugs licensed for long-term use in cats may be a result of a lack of good outcome measures.
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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
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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.
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"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
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“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.
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