Communication should be consistent and clear, not only when communicating within a team, but also when communicating with clients. Developing a set of practice protocols can support team members to make good decisions and improve patient safety. Protocols are a pre-agreed standard procedure to follow in particular situations. Protocols can be complex decision trees, based on published evidence-based guidelines, and created to support clinicians when diagnosing or managing a disease. The American Animal Hospital Association, for example, has published a range of guidelines you could use to create protocols of best practice in your clinic[1].
But protocols can also be simple and used to encourage consistency of care. For example, you could create a protocol to follow for dogs being discharged after neutering. It might include recommendations on pain relief, activity, e-collars, and scheduled revisits. You could even put the information into an information leaflet to give to the client when they come to pick up their pet, along with details of the procedure and any red flags that a client should be keeping an eye out for.
Creating agreed protocols for common procedures, consults and diseases will keep all team members singing from the same song sheet and support non-clinical staff when dealing with client enquiries
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Hopefully you can now see why good communication is fundamental to the success of the veterinary team. But where do these communication problems occur? And what can be done to make it better?
[1] Russell, E., Mossop, L., Forbes, E., & Oxtoby, C. (2022). Uncovering the ‘messy details’ of veterinary communication: An analysis of communication problems in cases of alleged professional negligence. Veterinary Record, 190(3)
