First results on the mandatory notification of dog bite injuries in Switzerland: A questionnaire survey among physicians and veterinarians

In order to expedite targeted interventions, mandatory notification of treated dog bite injuries for Swiss physicians and veterinarians was implemented in 2006. Since the number of notified cases was much lower than expected, the validity of the annually produced statistics with respect to the real situation in Switzerland was discussed controversially. In this study a questionnaire survey among physicians and veterinarians was carried out to evaluate the amount of and reasons for non-compliance with the mandatory notification. 81 % of the physicians and 97 % of the veterinarians reported the treatment of dog bite injuries in the year 2009. Among those, 60 % of the physicians and 41 % of the veterinarians indicated notification of less than 50 % of the treated cases. Our results indicate that the most relevant cases for targeted interventions seem to be notified, but that the statistical analyses have to be interpreted carefully. Language: de