Factors affecting the perception of recovery quality in horses after anaesthesia.
Authors: Farmer E, Chase-Topping M, Lawson H, Clutton R E
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Factors Affecting Recovery Quality Perception in Horses After Anaesthesia Recovery scoring systems are widely used to assess anaesthetic outcomes, but their validity depends on consistent evaluation across different observers. Farmer and colleagues surveyed 440 equine professionals and horse owners, asking them to rate video-recorded recoveries of 24 horses on a visual analogue scale (0–100), then examined whether evaluator background, gender and experience influenced their scores. Despite a modest overall response rate of 35%, the findings were reassuring: correlation between scoring groups was very high (Spearman rank >0.90), and amongst veterinarians—whether anaesthetists, surgeons or general practitioners—neither gender nor experience level significantly affected recovery perception. However, a notable gender effect emerged amongst horse owners, with male owners awarding substantially higher scores than female owners (P = 0.027), suggesting they are less critical in their assessment of recovery quality. For equine professionals implementing recovery scoring systems in clinical practice or research, these results support confidence in veterinary-graded assessments as objective measures; however, caution should be exercised when incorporating owner feedback into formal recovery evaluations, as gender bias may skew perception of actual recovery quality.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Visual analogue scale recovery scoring systems are valid across different veterinary specialties and experience levels, so standardized scoring can be reliably used in clinical practice
- •When using VAS scoring systems with non-veterinary stakeholders or clients, be aware that male and female owners may rate recovery quality differently, which should be considered when interpreting their feedback
- •Recovery quality assessment remains objective and consistent among professional equine anaesthetists and surgeons regardless of their background or experience
Key Findings
- •Overall response rate was 35%, with anaesthetists responding at highest rate (78%) compared to owners and practitioners (26%)
- •High correlation in visual analogue scale scores across all evaluator background groups (Spearman rank >0.90; P<0.001), indicating consistency in recovery quality perception
- •Among veterinarians, neither gender nor experience significantly affected recovery quality scores (P=0.551 and P=0.103 respectively)
- •Male horse owners awarded significantly higher recovery scores than female owners (P=0.027), suggesting gender bias in non-veterinary evaluators