Direct result of education: help guide the research

You know the conversations with clients that start with them announcing “I did some research”, which is code for “I Googled it and you’re not doing it right”? How can we change this?

The truth is, we can’t. The internet has all the information in the world in your pocket. Let’s face it, we’ve done it, too. Sat in the lab packing up the blood sample being sent off to a different country for a specific test. A quick Google to educate ourselves, expand our knowledge. We will use that information in the future when another case comes through the door. That’s okay. So why is it different when clients do it?

The veterinary profession is about evidence-based medicine. It’s about research, time, effort and money being put into investigations to help us and our patients.

Evidence-based medicine is the way we work safely and successfully. We can confidently discuss, diagnose and treat a range of conditions because of the way we learn. With books, journals, articles, research and previous experience.

When we “Google it“ what we do is make a beeline for the websites with the library of journals, the drug manufacturers, the forum where all the other veterinary professionals hang out. We head for the solid support websites, those that come with a list of contributors. Not Facebook (other social media platforms of limited veterinary knowledge are also available). Just because Howie Dewitt’s next door neighbour’s great uncle had a dog once in 1964 with a very similar, but not quite the same, condition and he treated it with a wet sock and boric acid, and it was fine.

Intercept

It’s at this point we need to intercept, but its already too late and the client is poised, waiting to tell you how to treat their pet on the knowledge obtained by doing some “research”.

How do we intercept? From the beginning. We make a diagnosis, we advise how we should treat, explain things won’t get better immediately (the joys of medicine) and then point them in the direction of the appropriate websites to do some more research. I think we underestimate how much some of our clients want to know. Reading veterinary-based articles, for those who aren’t in the veterinary field, will be hard to follow and very wordy.

So, let’s highlight the words that matter, the phrases we will come across during our newly diagnosed medical journey and talk money. It seems to be a dirty word, but all the one-star Google reviews you read on every practice website are focused on finances and communication.

Communicating evidence-based medicine in line with the short-term and long-term costs is very important to keep clients on side and not reach for the advice of the Facebook random.

Then hopefully, as a direct result of education, our conversations with our clients will be more evidence-focused and the clients can make better, more informed, decisions about their pet’s health care and medical needs.

As for Howie Dewitt’s next door neighbour’s great uncle’s dog in 1964, he (was probably female, but everything is called he) never went to the vet, he was fine and died of old age… whatever that is.