key: cord-260002-hszdk4es authors: Wayne, Annie S; Rozanski, Elizabeth A title: Cataloguing the response by emergency veterinary hospitals during the COVID‐19 pandemic via weekly surveys date: 2020-06-29 journal: J Vet Emerg Crit Care (San Antonio) DOI: 10.1111/vec.12974 sha: doc_id: 260002 cord_uid: hszdk4es BACKGROUND: The COVID‐19 pandemic has presented veterinary emergency hospitals with unique challenges. Rapid online surveys represent an efficient way of collating responses to rapidly shifting circumstances. METHODS: Fifty, 24‐h small animal emergency veterinary hospital representatives were recruited to participate in weekly surveys in April 2020 to catalog changes due to COVID‐19 pandemic. KEY FINDINGS: The majority of emergency veterinary hospitals surveyed reported significant changes to day‐to‐day operations as a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic. SIGNIFICANCE: Reporting of weekly survey results provides useful information on how emergency veterinary hospitals with similar challenges are responding to the COVID‐19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented 24-h emergency small animal veterinary hospitals with unique and unprecedented challenges. Rapid online surveys represent a viable way to collect and disseminate real time data that may be useful for veterinary practices to understand how their colleagues are responding and how responses might adapt over time. In late 2019, COVID-19 began spreading in Wuhan, China and rapidly became a global pandemic. In March 2020, COVID-19 was recognized as rapidly spreading throughout the United States with almost all 50 states implementing some form of "stay at home" order in March or April. 1 Thirteen of 50 (26%) respondents were hospital directors and an additional 21 (42%) have a leadership role. Thirty-four hospitals currently have special teams dedicated to the COVID-19 response effort and 28 respondents are on the special team if it exists in their hospital. Eleven of 50 (22%) responders are not on a specific team but are spending more than 25% of their time on aspects related to COVID-19 response. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 12 of 50 (24%) hospitals had a full business continuity or disaster plan. Twenty-two of 50 (44%) had contingency plans in place for anticipated short-term disruptions, such as snow days, while 16 (32%) had no plans for either short-or long-term disruptions or disasters. Most respondents report major changes to hospital operations with Table 2 represents sample scenarios to provide more clarity on how hospitals were classifying emergency or essential cases in the initial phases of out" scheduling protocols with rotating teams of people that switch on and off working, while the remaining 76% had another type of schedule. Thirty-four of 38 (89%) responding hospitals were re-assigning staff to work outside their normal work space. As Table 3 . Nineteen On April 13, 2020 (survey week 2), when asked if euthanasia rates had increased as compared to pre-COVID-19 (as percentage of cases compared to February 2020 or the same week in 2019), 15 of 36 (53%) said it was about the same, 11 of 36 (31%) did not know or have access to data, 1 (2%) said decreased by more than 25%, and 9 (25%) reported an increase by more than 25%. Subjectively 26 of 36 (72%) respondents thought clients had more financial limitations than before the COVID- games, handing out individually wrapped meals or snacks, emails on self-care, regular "town halls" to disseminate information and answer questions, being understanding and flexible for childcare/eldercare needs or immunocompromised family members, "COVID bonuses" for staff working in the clinic and providing cloth masks. Most hospitals (20/37; 54%) are planning a slow ramp up with attempts to maintain social distancing and keep as few people in the building as possible, 9 of 37 (24%) plan to continue to not allow clients in the building but otherwise planning to return to normal as fast as possible, while only 1 (3%) responder said they were returning to pre-pandemic clinic activities as fast as possible. Four clinics had other plans and 9 (24%) said they were still running pretty close to normal. When asked how hospitals are deciding which services to resume first, 9 said revenue was primarily driving decisions and 9 said ability to enable social distancing with another 15 using other criteria such as a combination of the 2 or having enough PPE. Veterinary emergency hospitals provide essential services to people 4 The prolonged nature of COVID-19 is unique compared to many other disasters, but planning provides a framework from which to adjust for specific situations. COVID-19 may encourage more veterinary hospitals to create business continuity or disaster plans. Burnout and stress among veterinarians prior to COVID-19 were common. [5] [6] The stressors related to COVID-19 only serve to further strain veterinarians and their staff and in particular those providing 24h emergency care. It is clear that COVID-19 will have sustained financial impacts on hospitals. Employers should actively explore ways to reduce stress on teams and promote positive work environments. These data highlight that 24-hr emergency veterinary practices have been massively disrupted by COVID-19. Significant stressors are likely to continue to impact veterinary hospitals and their staffs for some time. The continuation of surveying emergency veterinary hospitals and dissemination of timely information is planned for remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic. Which states are reopening and which are still shut down Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Veterinary Clinics Treating Companion Animals During the COVID-19 Response Independent Vets COVID-19 veterinary hospital survey data Disaster Preparedness Investigation of burnout syndrome and job related risk factors in veterinary technicians in specialty teaching hospitals: a multicenter cross-sectional study Toward an evidence-based approach to stress management for veterinarians and veterinary students Cataloguing the response by emergency veterinary hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic via weekly surveys The authors declare no conflict of interests.