Jun. 22, 2021
Communication & Vets: Not Rocket Science!
I wrote a blog not too long ago on the dire need of incorporating patient care/liaisons to advocate for the fur babies and the pet parents navigate through the fur pet’s treatment plan. Now it is time to discuss the communication process of veterinarians and pet parents. The importance of communication is essential in any profession, relationships, and acts of daily life/functioning. The problem is, with veterinarians there are far too many communication breakdowns that cause many problems in relationships between veterinarians and their human clients as well as the potential for serious harm to the pet. These breakdowns generally occur either before-the fact or after-the-fact.
Before-the-fact communication problems generally include: clients' mistaken perceptions or unrealistic expectations regarding outcomes (being given false hope), and veterinarians' failures to inform clients on these issues, including: truthful information on the realities of vaccinations and side effects of medications, clients' misconceptions regarding fees, etc. Example: has your fur baby been prescribed medication by the vet? Did the vet verbally go over what the medication is, what it does, side effects, etc. Another example of before-the-fact communication is a situation that should NEVER happen but does at ALARMING rates. A healthy and young fur baby goes in to the vet to be spayed or neutered. Things go very wrong and the vet encounters complications during the procedure. All the while, the pet parent is under the assumption that "spaying or neutering” was a "routine" procedure. The pet parent did not understand and was not informed on: the implications of general anesthesia, the pet parent should be educated in a simple conversation that there is a risk of their fur baby suffering from unexplained anesthetic complications or post-surgery complications. This SHOULD HAVE BEEN discussed with the pet parent by the vet. And it was not. Now the pet parent is left absolutely devastated and shattered. We are left in the dark almost all the time.
Now, after-the-fact communication issues generally include failure on the part of veterinarian or staff to show adequate compassion, failure to give adequate and direct answers to difficult questions, failure to take responsibility, failure to be truthful, failure to apologize, etc. If a veterinarian knowingly makes a mistake, must he/she share that information with the client? ABSOUTELY. As ethics, honesty, and humanity NEEDS to be a crucial aspect of communications between veterinarians and their human clients. Often, however, while lack of responsibility, accountability, and dishonesty may be the "best policy" for lawsuit prevention, but let’s be real-true and meaningful honesty is not in the majority of veterinarian’s vocab- it is a foreign concept to the majority of them. How is this acceptable? How are vets still getting away with this?
Nothing good comes out of lack of/poor/nonexistent communication or withholding crucial information. Yes, we need patient liaisons to help navigate us with our fur babies’ care BUT that does not mean the veterinarian is off the hook. This person spent YEARS in school and is supposed to be an “expert,” especially being granted the title of “doctor.” It is still the veterinarians’ duty and responsibility to have an open dialogue with pet parents. It is the veterinarian’s responsibility to listen to the pet parent- listen to their concerns, questions, feedback- WITHOUT dismissing the pet parent, taking advantage/exploiting, and flat out lying/cover up jobs.
Proper communication is not some impossible concept. It is actually quite easy. Right? Vets, again we are not asking for much- just be an honest person who values the ethics and oaths they swore upon. A professional who has good moral character and wants to help vs. harm. Someone who puts our pets as the number one priority and not for some type of selfish gain. Communication is not rocket science. If they can make it through vet school, they are capable of having a productive, positive two way conversation. PERIOD. So there you have it. Time to step up and be a true health care professional. No more shortcuts, do your job the right, ethical way. If not, find a new career path- PLEASE!