Measuring satisfaction in the small animal consultation and its relationship to consult length.

BACKGROUND: Measuring satisfaction is a useful metric of success of any interaction, but very few validated instruments exist for measuring the satisfaction of the veterinary surgeon (vet) and the client in veterinary consultations. Additionally, there has been no research examining the impact of consultation length on satisfaction. The aim of this observational study was to investigate the use of a single-question graphic scale to assess vet and client satisfaction and the impact of consultation length on satisfaction. METHODS: Information on consultation timing was collected for 65 health problem consultations across six practices. These measurements were compared with postconsultation measurements of client and vet satisfaction. RESULTS: A comparison between the long-form and single-question satisfaction instruments demonstrated significant correlation for both vet and client tools (ρ=0.609, P<0.005 and ρ=0.483, P<0.005, respectively). The average client satisfaction with the consultation was high; however, vet satisfaction levels were significantly lower (U=1073, P<0.005). Increased consult length was associated with increased vet satisfaction (ρ=0.332, P=0.007) but not increased client satisfaction. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the graphic scale is an appropriate proxy for the pre-existing long-form questionnaires available for both vets and clients. Further research is required to examine the disparity identified between vet and client satisfaction.

Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) in Veterinary Medicine: Applying Evidence in Clinical Practice.

Critically appraised topics (CATs) are evidence syntheses that provide veterinary professionals with information to rapidly address clinical questions and support the practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). They also have an important role to play in both undergraduate and post-registration education of veterinary professionals, in research and knowledge gap identification, literature scoping, preparing research grants and informing policy. CATs are not without limitations, the primary one relating to the rapid approach used which may lead to selection bias or restrict information identified or retrieved. Furthermore, the narrow focus of CATs may limit applicability of the evidence findings beyond a specific clinical scenario, and infrequently updated CATs may become redundant. Despite these limitations, CATs are fundamental to EBVM in the veterinary profession. Using the example of a dog with osteoarthritis, the five steps involved in creating and applying a CAT to clinical practice are outlined, with an emphasis on clinical relevance and practicalities. Finally, potential future developments for CATs and their role in EBVM, and the education of veterinary professionals are discussed. This review is focused on critically appraised topics (CATs) as a form of evidence synthesis in veterinary medicine. It aims to be a primary guide for veterinarians, from students to clinicians, and for veterinary nurses and technicians (hereafter collectively called veterinary professionals). Additionally, this review provides further information for those with some experience of CATs who would like to better understand the historic context and process, including further detail on more advanced concepts. This more detailed information will appear in pop-out boxes with a double-lined surround to distinguish it from the information core to producing and interpreting CATs, and from the boxes with a single line surround which contain additional resources relevant to the different parts of the review.

Appointment scheduling and cost in first opinion small animal practice.

Approximately half of first opinion, small animal consultations exceed their allocated time and there's a growing call in the UK for longer consults. The aim of this study was to investigate and describe allocated appointment length in first opinion, small animal practice in the UK. Almost half (49.8%) of consults were scheduled for 15 min, with a further 39.4% scheduled for 10 min. Nearly all participants (97.1%) reported flexibility when booking appointments, scheduling longer appointments for conditions predicted to require more time. However, the majority (68.1%) reported no additional cost charged to the client for a longer consult. Furthermore, 54.7% of the survey respondents offered nurse appointments free of charge. A restructured approach to consult scheduling for both Veterinary Surgeon and Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) consultations could help to improve workforce wellbeing, utilise the vast knowledge and skill sets of RVNs and improve financial metrics.

Measuring the success of specific health problem consultations in cats and dogs: a systematic review.

Consultations are complex interactions, are central to achieving optimal outcomes for all stakeholders, yet what constitutes a successful consultation has not been defined. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the scope of the literature available on specific health problem consultations and appraise their identified success measures. Searches of CAB Abstracts and MEDLINE were performed in May 2016 using species and consultation terms. Systematic sorting of the results allowed identification of consultation 'success factors' cited in peer-reviewed veterinary literature which were appraised using an appropriate critical appraisal tool (AXIS). Searches returned 11 330 results with a total of 17 publications meeting the inclusion criteria, of which four measured consultation success. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association was the most common journal of publication (9 of 17) and the majority of included papers had been published since 2010 (12 of 17). Success factors measured were compliance, client satisfaction and veterinary surgeon satisfaction, and publications primarily used communication analysis tools to measure success. The review highlights the paucity of peer-reviewed literature examining small animal, health problem veterinary consultations. The available evidence is of variable quality and provides weak evidence as to which factors contribute to a successful consultation.