 |
|
|
 |
Are Your Doctors and Clients Communicating Successfully?by Mary Ann Vande Linde, DVMVMC, Inc. Evergreen, CO 80439 Facilitating communication between doctor and client often means "bridging the understanding gap". It's about helping the client understand the partnership - that you have tools and services they can use to give their pet a quality life. The process breaks down when a client can't decide what to do because we haven't helped them understand what that tool can do for them. We have to speak their language and we have to look at the situation from their perspective. Many times in consultations I hear a veterinarian making a recommendation and spinning off the vast knowledge they've gained in veterinary college. They go way over the client's head, and they go too fast. I think of it as "lecturing". The client isn't catching half of it and that's compounded because both parties are focusing on their own concerns. The doctor is saying, "We need to do a radiograph" and planning how to get that done, and the client is thinking "Radiograph? What does that have to do with Fluffy's stomach?" You've got to narrow the gap of understanding between how the client sees the problem or disease, and how you understand the same issues. Speak the language of the client. Explain that a radiograph is "a noninvasive tool that will allow us to see immediately if there's a foreign body in Fluffy's stomach." Describe an ultrasound as "a way that we can see the thickening of the bladder wall and look for abnormal growths and protrusions. Maybe that's what's causing Muffin's frequent urination." Portray the tool in terms that demonstrate the benefit it's going to provide to that client and their pet. The best way to speak the client's language is to ask questions. Your questions will discover if the client is aware of the disease process and determine their level of concern. Questions can even help the client understand the problem. During the physical exam, you might say, "Have you changed her food recently or noticed a change of appetite?" Now mention the changes you see, "I'm noticing that Sam's teeth are looking less white than they did last time. And her breath is changing. Have you noticed the same thing?" The client may not even have registered this as a problem, but now you're gently making them aware. Start describing some of the problems that can come from teeth that need attention, and listen to the client as awareness dawns. As they acknowledge the changes, repeat their words and describe how the changes can affect Sam's health. Remember that 80% of people are "visual" and need to see what you're describing. Pictures of healthy teeth, or of teeth that are even more in need of help, can help the client see where their pet falls in the spectrum of illness. This is a good time to bring out a care plan or estimate (we'll talk more about these in October) describing the levels of disease and the care needed at each stage - and provide the associated cost. Now they'll understand what could happen if they don't take care of things now. And you'll have developed a partnership with your client because you're communicating, not lecturing. |