Читать книгу Pet-Specific Care for the Veterinary Team - Группа авторов - Страница 63

The opportunity to deliver pet‐specific care comes with an obligation to present care recommendations well. Take the time to explain and to coach your clients, whether the pet is well or ill. Clients will take better care of their pet if they understand its disease and treatment needs.

It takes thought and practice to change the way we work. Remembering a new protocol can be hard. Investing more time in each individual client may mean scheduling more time over the course of a year, team training, developing tools and doing performance evaluations and coaching. The opportunity to deliver pet‐specific care comes at a cost. You cannot necessarily deliver high‐quality care while remaining a low‐cost provider, so some consideration is warranted.

Medical record keeping is very important if you are initiating a new program and a good electronic medical record (EMR) system can facilitate this (see 9.1 Medical Record Entries). We have been taught since childhood to fill in the blanks. Providing a place to document recommendations helps us to remember to make them. For example, let's say I want to start offering Schirmer tear testing (STT) for all my senior canine patients, to catch keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) at an early stage. If an item is added to the exam template where the STT results are recorded, team members will remember to obtain that information.

If we want to offer a STT or a blood pressure screening to senior pet owners, we also need a handout or laminated sheet or some other tool to be sure we don't forget to do so. That's how we become consistent with client presentations and the care we deliver.

In addition, we need a plan or program for every type of routine visit. Protocol development includes not just how you will treat a particular patient but also how you will educate the client about the pet's care. You need to document every recommendation and provide written materials. Give your clients all their instructions in writing – every disease or problem, every diagnosis, every medication, every recommendation.

People comply better with their own physician's recommendations when there is sound education on why a medication or procedure is needed, and there is follow‐up and follow‐through. You have to do these things too, and train your staff to do these things.

1 Explain the recommendation, and why it is your standard of care.

2 Solidify the recommendation, by selling the product, scheduling the appointment for the procedure if you can, or calling back later.

3 Remember the 3 Rs. For every patient and every disease process there should be one of these: a Reminder entered for the next exam, vaccination or blood test; a Recheck appointment scheduled; or a Recall to contact the client again.

4 The client education, call‐back and follow‐up should be done in a kind, gentle, and professional manner by well‐trained employees.