An updated version of one of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s most frequently accessed Global Guidelines is to be launched at this year’s World Congress in October.
The new edition of its Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain is undergoing peer review prior to publication by the Journal of Small Animal Practice (JSAP), WSAVA’s official scientific journal.
The Guidelines, created by WSAVA’s Global Pain Council (GPC), will be launched to WSAVA members during the World Congress, prior to being made available for free download from JSAP once they have been accepted and the WSAVA website.
The WSAVA’s Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain will provide users with easy-to-implement, foundational information on the successful recognition and treatment of pain in a general small animal clinical practice setting.
They also support veterinarians in any region of the world, regardless of difficulties with drug availability, because they provide guidance on how to recognise and treat pain in these situations. Resolving the issue of global inequities in accessing veterinary medicines is a key priority for the WSAVA and will be discussed during World Congress at the Shaping the Future session.
The goal of the WSAVA Global Pain Council, chaired by Dr Bea Monteiro and made up of a team of global experts, is to create a global environment for companion animals in which pain is considered as the fourth vital sign and addressed appropriately.
Its first Global Guidelines were published in JSAP in 2014 and have been downloaded from its website 53,000 times. They are also available on the WSAVA website, from where they have been downloaded almost 4000 times this year alone, together with a range of other free resources.
“With animal sentience now legally recognised in many countries and jurisdictions, veterinary health professionals have a moral and ethical duty to mitigate suffering to the best of our ability,” Dr Monteiro said.
“We hope the latest issue of our Guidelines will become a key reference point and I’d like to thank the members of the GPC for their dedication in preparing them.”
