4 Jan 2021
The RCVS Mind Matters Initiative has provided £20,000 to commission a study into the impact of moral injury across the veterinary professions.
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A research project looking at how upsetting workplace experiences affect veterinary well-being is recruiting participants.
The study by King’s College London has been funded by the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative through its £20,000 Sarah Brown Mental Health Research grant and is being led by psychologists Neil Greenberg, Dominic Murphy and Victoria Williamson.
The study aims to investigate the impact of “moral injury” on the veterinary professions – including the types of moral injuries veterinary professionals may encounter, their prevalence, perceptions and what support is needed when they occur.
Morally injurious events are defined as experiences that violate a person’s moral or ethical code.
An online questionnaire has been created, suitable for all members of the veterinary team, which can be submitted for the study. It takes an estimated 20 minutes to complete.
Dr Williamson said: “If you have experienced an upsetting event in your veterinary role, it would be really helpful if you could fill in our questionnaire, which is anonymous and confidential.
“As part of this study, we are particularly interested in hearing about experiences that may have caused you to question the kind of person you are, or the kind of world we live in. These are things you feel you may have done or failed to do, or things others did or failed to do.”
Dr Williamson added: “We hope our results will help us to find better ways of meeting the needs of veterinarians in future, so we would encourage veterinary professionals to also circulate this study to colleagues.
“Some participants may be invited to take part in a follow-up telephone interview; however, we would like to assure you this element of the project is completely voluntary.”
Follow-up telephone interviews for anyone wanting to participate will cover thoughts, feelings and beliefs, and how events affected them.
For more about the study, email Dr Williamson.