References
Avoiding pitfalls in today's pre-purchase examinations
Abstract
The pre-purchase examination is a complex procedure, providing not only clinical, but logistical and communication challenges to surmount. Practitioners should aspire to deliver an excellent level of client service and fairly interpret whether any condition identified prejudices the suitability of the horse for a specific use, dispelling the perception that clinicians practise defensive medicine. In recent times, an unprecedented number of horses are being bought unseen and the technology used to enable this presents a new array of potential pitfalls. A plethora of literature is available discussing clinical diligence during the examination itself, including how to assess individual body systems in the most effective manner. This article focuses on how pitfalls can be identified and avoided with good preparation, as well as the impact of how the pre-purchase examination is evolving in the digital era.
Equine practice has a reputation for being the most litigious discipline of veterinary medicine, and within that the pre-purchase examination remains at the forefront of practitioners' minds. It remains true that around two thirds of all equine claims made to the Veterinary Defence Society (VDS) arise from pre-purchase examinations; and while relatively few complaints made to the Royal College of Veteirnary Surgeons relate to equine work, pre-purchase examination issues account for around a third of those made (Stephenson, 2015; T Brazil, personal communication, 2021). Furthermore, additional pressures outside of formal complaint procedures have developed by way of social media, which enables today's blame and compensation cultures. Perceived or actual case mismanagement is readily aired online and rapidly disseminated as ‘urban legend’, often before the clinician is even aware of the specific issue, let alone has a chance to respond.
The pre-purchase examination process has not changed over the past few decades, while people's expectations of both guarantees of outcome and speed of reporting have altered significantly. Couple this with an explosion of technologies available and the result is an increasing number of pitfalls to navigate.
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