Data quality of animal health records on Swiss dairy farms

Menéndez, S.; Steiner, Adrian; Witschi, U.; Danuser, J.; Weber, U.; Regula, G. (2008). Data quality of animal health records on Swiss dairy farms. Veterinary record, 163(8), pp. 241-246. British Veterinary Association

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High-quality data are essential for veterinary surveillance systems, and their quality can be affected by the source and the method of collection. Data recorded on farms could provide detailed information about the health of a population of animals, but the accuracy of the data recorded by farmers is uncertain. The aims of this study were to evaluate the quality of the data on animal health recorded on 97 Swiss dairy farms, to compare the quality of the data obtained by different recording systems, and to obtain baseline data on the health of the animals on the 97 farms. Data on animal health were collected from the farms for a year. Their quality was evaluated by assessing the completeness and accuracy of the recorded information, and by comparing farmers' and veterinarians' records. The quality of the data provided by the farmers was satisfactory, although electronic recording systems made it easier to trace the animals treated. The farmers tended to record more health-related events than the veterinarians, although this varied with the event considered, and some events were recorded only by the veterinarians. The farmers' attitude towards data collection was positive. Factors such as motivation, feedback, training, and simplicity and standardisation of data collection were important because they influenced the quality of the data.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > Clinic for Ruminants 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Public Health Institute
UniBE Contributor:	Menéndez, Sonia, Steiner, Adrian, Schüpbach-Regula, Gertraud Irene
Subjects:	600 Technology > 630 Agriculture
ISSN:	0042-4900
Publisher:	British Veterinary Association
Language:	English
Submitter:	Gertraud Irene Regula
Date Deposited:	05 May 2014 11:14
Last Modified:	02 Mar 2023 23:24
PubMed ID:	18723865
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/40692