| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of our systematic literature review of ectoparasite prevention compliance is to uncover the percentages of the public who do not comply with the recommended dosage of these drugs and what influences their decisions. With many zoonotic and vector borne diseases prevented by these prophylactic treatments, it is important for both human and animal health to take preventative actions. Our goal is to uncover knowledge gaps in the literature for reasons pet owners do not adhere to drug dosage frequencies, so that veterinarians can properly advocate for patient care in a way that addresses these barriers. By employing key word searches of PubMed and Google Scholar, we documented screened articles in Covidence for a two-person review to identify articles meeting inclusion criteria. Each study had to be geographically in the US, more recent than 1990, and discuss oral or topical (for feline) drugs. Seven articles were included in this review. Once analyzed, key themes were drawn out of the papers and gaps in knowledge were identified. A major health concern noted by our review is the large percentage of the general public who do not adhere to dosing timelines. The mean percentage of dog owners giving ectoparasite prevention for a full calendar year ranged from 24.5% ± 9.9 (SE) to 27.3% ± 9.1 (SE). The mean percentage of cat owners giving ectoparasite prevention for a full calendar year ranged from 9.1% ± 8.9 (SE) to 12.2% ± 5.7 (SE). The longevity of medications used, quantity of doses purchased, and lack of owner education were all identified as key influences on the rate of non-compliance and adherence to veterinary recommendations. By targeting these areas for education, products and services provided, veterinarians can improve their clients’ compliance and help protect patients from disease. Important gaps in literature knowledge identified included disparities between canine and feline preventative use and research, connection between statistics of non-compliance and causes, a lack of available geographic data for analysis, and the coverage of ectoparasite prevention compared to other preventative medication. | |
