8 Jul 2025
Declan Jones CertAVN RVN takes a look at using technology used in veterinary practice and how talking and listening to clients can improve understanding.
Declan Jones
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Image: ZinetroN / Adobe Stock
As an RVN, I recognise the significant impact I can have in supporting my clients to care for their animals, from helping to build a home care plan to guiding the routine day-to-day care in maintaining health and happiness.
Student veterinary nurses are taught to recognise and evaluate the mechanisms of communication, developing our preferences as we grow and develop.
It can be easy to underestimate the amount of knowledge we possess as professionals, and how much of this knowledge we can share throughout a typical day of work. But, as technology marches on, so do our clients. It is important we remember to continually assess the landscape of communication in which we currently lay.
In this digital age of social media, forums and direct messaging, clients have access to a whole world of information – unfortunately, including a significant amount of misinformation. It is important to remember that misinformation is the spreading of unintentionally incorrect information; in contrast to the more sinister disinformation, which is deliberate.
It would appear plausible that a majority of the incorrect information currently surfing the digital waves falls into the unintentional kind – or so I would hope.
So, why does misinformation continue to spread?
We professionals have access to, and understand, the correct information, so why don’t members of the public just refer to our expertise?
One reason may be that the people and places spreading misinformation have developed very effective engines of communication – from social media memes that spread like wildfire, to emotive language that provokes emotional responses.
As a profession, we need to build trust with our clients, understand the communication gaps that currently exist and rival the spread of misinformation.
A first step, of course, is to lead our clients towards reputable sources of information, explaining why we are happy to refer to a particular website or organisation. We could also produce client resources for consumption outside of the practice, satisfying the need to read around a subject, and have time to truly comprehend it. But a big step to bridging the gap would be to first recognise the difference between what is said versus what is understood.
How often do you pause to clarify your clients’ understanding? Asking a client to relay something in their own words can provide an excellent opportunity to solidify their understanding and demonstrate their comprehension to you.
The consequences for miscommunication between clients and professionals can be high, as we are all acutely aware. But even small miscommunications can lead to reduced trust in the practice and profession as a whole. Within our busy workday, it can sometimes be difficult to take the time to ensure complex ideas filled with jargon are effectively translated and communicated for a client.
Summarising the major points of a conversation and providing opportunity for final questions from the client can go a long way to help secure their understanding. Better yet, inviting clients to call back with any further queries, or even taking the initiative ourselves to check up on any progress, can help build a stronger bond between that client and the practice.
I’d be remiss not to remark on the importance of the human factor as the digital age progresses. As professionals, and uniquely as registered veterinary nurses, we are positioned to build these bonds with clients and their animals. It is a skill we hone with years of practice and can evolve with the shifting demands and expectations of our clients.
The arrival of telemedicine services comes with advantages and benefits for our clients. Faster, easier and even cheaper alternatives to the traditional veterinary practice approach may be in our future, courtesy of recent guidelines and industry conversation. It is both a gift for the profession, and looming threat to the status quo.
But we stand now as professionals, bringing the personal touch and ability to tremendously improve patient outcomes. As a wonderful nurse and friend likes to say, I just want to take a cheesy moment. Let’s recognise what we can achieve when communicating effectively with our clients.
We are often told that the aim of communication in practice is to build concordance in a client, ensuring they accept our knowledge and agree to achieve compliance. It is important to stress, however, that communication is a two-way street, which I appreciate might seem like an obvious point.
But, if we are to communicate effectively with our clients, then we must first build a holistic understanding of their individual situation. A more beneficial aim of communication might be to instead build a shared concordance. The onus should not solely be with the client to understand our point of view. We should learn to appreciate theirs.
Individual circumstances can vary wildly, from economic stability (or lack thereof) to the suitability of home environments. Where possible, communication should always begin with a conversation. A time to discuss the expectations of a client, the limitations they might have, as well as the understanding and information they already hold.
The techniques and mechanisms in which we gain information remain largely unchanged between methods of conversation. The classic example of closed versus open questioning comes to mind.
By inviting the client to divulge information that surrounds a topic of interest, we can build as broad an image as possible. Asking “how much do you feed your dog?” might produce a reasonable answer of “one cup of biscuits a day”. But asking a client to “walk me through Fluffy’s typical routines” might also bring up the cheeky bedtime treat.
The framing of a question may also lead clients to hide information. The word “treat”, for example, can have a negative connotation when discussing weight. Simply asking “what treats does Fluffy get?” might not produce a satisfactory answer. Instead, framing the question to permit the owner to divulge information might be more beneficial. “Tell me about Fluffy’s favourite treats and nice things” is more likely to draw out information and help us understand the relationship the client has with their pet and treats.
These conversations can be in person, over the phone or digitally written, which includes both emails as well as the most recent advent of instant messaging systems. Increasingly, practices have access to services that allow direct and efficient written communication.
These services often provide easy solutions for sharing of media, such as photo or video and even video calls, facilitating a greater level of engagement with clients.
By actively listening and remaining empathetic to an individual’s circumstances, there may be times when one method of communication is revealed to be preferable.
As an example, I recently assisted with the surgical correction of a partially ruptured cranial cruciate ligament with a triple tibial osteotomy. Of course, it is standard procedure to see these guys in for several postoperative checks, completing physical assessments and assisting with the recovery as much as possible.
This latest example, however, was a little different. The client struggled to get their heavy dog in and out of the car, leading to significant stress and anxiety.
The biggest concern for the client seemed not to be the imposing orthopaedic procedure and anaesthetic, nor the intensive home care and change to daily routines. The patient had experienced the same contralateral condition less than two years prior. Instead, once again organising opportunities for subsequent post operative checks was the biggest concern.
So, after discussions with the case veterinary surgeon, we decided to opt for digital postoperative checks. As a practice, we had become quite accustomed to digital clinical assessments during the early days of the pandemic; we had the skill set to help walk the client through a comprehensive check. When coupled with the client’s prior experience, we were met with the opportunity to complete such a feat.
This is an example of doing things a little differently with the tools we have available to us.
Each practice is different, and each case is unique. Alternative options exist and may even suit the needs of your practice and clients better.
The take-home message is to recognise that care and communication should be contextualised.
While the topic of any communication may be set, the content and direction can vary dependent on the specific circumstances or context a client finds themselves in. Listen to your clients, and don’t be afraid to do things a little differently.
