Survey of End of Life Communication for Small Animal Vets

Recruiting Small Animal DVMs to complete a survey on End of Life Communication

Researchers at Lindenwood University and Purdue University are working together on a study that has been approved through Lindenwood University (IRB#: IRB-26-76) that involves engaging with small animal veterinarians on how they communicate with clients during euthanasia.  There is no external funding for this research. The project is survey based and we've included the language invitation to participate in the survey at the end of this e-mail. 

The project PI is Dr. Sara Kaufman from Lindenwood University.  Along with Dr. Leanne Nieforth, Dr. Kaufman has working on a line of research related to death and dying in human-animal interaction contexts.  Dr. Kaufman is a Communication scholar, and Dr. Nieforth is focused on Human-Animal Interactions. They reached out to Dr. Chris Fulkerson and Dr. Marejka Shaevitz, who are both board-certified oncologists, and me the Veterinary Social Worker at Purdue to develop the project.  The goal with this study is to survey small animal veterinarians to identify how they are communicating in these situations, ultimately providing insights into best practices. 

Dr. Sara Kaufman is conducting a study to understand how veterinarians communicate with clients directly before and directly after small animal euthanasia. If you see small animal patients and have had at least five Pre/Post-Euthanasia conversations in the past year, you are invited to complete a short online survey. It will take about 15 minutes to complete and will ask about your conversations with clients before and after euthanasia. To participate, please click the link below. https://lindenwood.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_85QWGJk7Qu1XCRM

If you have any questions regarding the study, please email Dr. Sara Kaufman at skaufman@lindenwood.edu.