An interactive map detailing the provision of ‘virtual veterinary services’ (telemedicine) across 40 European countries has been released by the Veterinary Virtual Care Association European Affiliate (VVCA-EA) group. Coordinated by Wolfgang Dohne (UK), the map provides a comprehensive review of the provision of veterinary virtual care on the European continent.
Considerable differences remain
Veterinary virtual care has become an integral part of veterinary practice in many countries globally, especially since the COVID pandemic. However, there are still considerable differences in how virtual care is regulated and delivered to pet owners in different states and countries.
Mainly regulated in Western Europe
Provision of veterinary telehealth advice and of telemedicine consultations is now available in many European countries, however it remains regulated predominantly in Western European countries only. Such regulations can take the form of legally binding rules (UK), or of general guidelines which are established by central veterinary organisations (Switzerland, the Netherlands).
Prescribing medication
More specific patient-targeted telemedicine consultations, including direct treatment advice and in some cases the right to prescribe veterinary medication, is less commonly available and in Western Europe it is often subject to regulation. For example, Ireland, Belgium and Poland do not allow this form of veterinary care. Austria recently changed regulations and now permits both veterinary telehealth advice and telemedicine consultations.
A possible role for veterinary nurses
For the countries where veterinary virtual care is subject to regulation, the new map also provides details regarding: the requirement for a physical examination prior to the provision of telemedicine services; the ability to issue prescriptions based solely on a virtual veterinary-client-patient-relationship; the extent to which virtual care can be provided by qualified veterinary nurses or technicians; whether a veterinary professional providing these services needs to be licensed in an individual country.
The people behind the map
The European VVCA committee is composed of Caroline Jangdal (Sweden), Viveka Grimstål (Sweden), Mogens Brix (Denmark), Pete Wedderburn (Ireland), Mark Goodman-Milne (France), Björn Becker (Germany), Liz Barton (UK), Sharron Addis (UK), Peter Higgins (UK), Jessica May (UK, chair of VVCA EA) and Wolfgang Dohne (UK, coordinator). For more information, please contact vvca.europe@gmail.com