While all the principles we have shared above about delivering bad news apply to end-of-life discussions, they can represent an even greater stressor for both clients and veterinary team members, so we have chosen to cover them in more detail.
“[Veterinary Professionals] are present at the death of their patients five times more often than other health care professionals.”[1] End of life conversations are stressful and contribute to mental anguish, burnout, and many of the other wellbeing issues so top of mind in the veterinary profession. Still, these discussions are common and essential in the practice of veterinary medicine and can have the power to either alleviate or worsen grief, depending on how they’re managed.
Several things make end-of-life discussions difficult for veterinary team members, including lack of training (something we hope this topic is addressing), time constraints, a feeling of responsibility on the part of the veterinary professional for the patient’s situation, concerns for quality of life of the patient, and concerns about impact on the relationship between the client and the veterinary professional. If this weren’t challenging enough, the client comes into the conversation dealing with heavy emotion as well. Feeling guilty, anticipating grief, discomfort with the subject of death itself, concerns about the beloved pet’s quality of life, and concerns about the impact of the loss of the pet on themselves and other family members all make end-of-life an emotionally charged time for owners.
[1] Shaw JR, Lagoni L., 2007. End-of-Life Communication in Veterinary Medicine: Delivering Bad News and Euthanasia Decision-Making. Vet Clin Small Anim (37):95-108.
