Veterinary student competence in equine lameness recognition and assessment: a mixed methods study.

The research looked into the ability of veterinary students at different stages of their training in recognizing and assessing lameness in horses. More experienced students displayed superior skills although there were areas for improvement identified in their assessments.

Research Methodology

• The authors conducted a mixed methods study to examine the competence of veterinary students in identifying and assessing equine lameness. The study involved students in their third year (inexperienced) and students during their clinical rotations in fourth or fifth year (experienced).
• To assess students’ skills, they were asked to evaluate horses shown in videos where the horses were trotting in a straight line and in circles.
• Eye-tracking data was collected from the students as they evaluated the straight line trot to understand where they were focusing during assessment.
• After the evaluation, the students filled out a structured questionnaire.

Key Findings

• Results indicated that experienced students performed better in detecting lameness than their inexperienced counterparts. However, even the experienced students incorrectly identified the lame limb in one out of four horses.
• In identifying sound horses, the correct detection results were at chance level, suggesting an area for improvement in assessment skills.
• Analysis of eye-tracking data revealed that experienced students mainly focused on the horse’s upper body movement (head and sacrum) during assessment, while inexperienced students paid more attention to limb movement.
• The students’ self-assessments corroborated the objective findings, demonstrating a realistic understanding of their own performance. The task difficulty was generally rated between 3 and 4 out of 5.
• Inexperienced students were found to list a significantly higher number of visual features associated with lameness than their experienced counterparts.

Implications

• This research provides important insights that can shape future dedicated training in veterinary education. Tailoring training based on these findings can help students develop more reliable and effective lameness assessment skills.
• The differences in the strategies employed by experienced and inexperienced students indicates that focus areas shift with experience and training. This can influence the design of learning objectives for different stages of the veterinary program.
• The findings also reinforce the need for continuous training and practice, even among experienced students, to improve accuracy and sensitivity in lameness detection.
• The identification of sound horses being at chance level suggests the importance of enhancing training in this area. It emphasizes the need for developing robust decision-making skills when it comes to ruling out lameness in horses.