Category: Client expectations
Posted on August 25, 2014
Bladder Infections: Is Treatment Always Necessary?
My recent blog posts have focused on canine bladder infections including their causes, associated symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. The question arises, is it always necessary to treat a bladder infection, particularly if the patient has no symptoms? Women… Read More
Posted on April 27, 2014
Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There
In the world of human medicine it’s estimated that 80% of the maladies that prompt physician visits would completely resolve on their own with simple “benign neglect.” In other words, time is all that is needed for a… Read More
Posted on March 2, 2014
Clients I Wish I Could Clone
Just as teachers have their “pet students,” so too do veterinarians have their “pet clients” (no pun intended). These are the clients who generate a buzz of excitement amongst the veterinary staff whenever their names appear on the… Read More
Posted on January 18, 2014
Changing Relationships Between Veterinarians and Their Clients
Many of my veterinary colleagues have been up in arms about a recent ABC 20/20 broadcast that asked the question, “Can you trust that your veterinarian is being honest with you?” During the episode, “secret shoppers” presented two… Read More
Updated on January 4, 2014
Shared Office Visits
Recent articles in Time and The Oprah Magazine discuss the intriguing concept of “shared medical appointments”. Here’s how such appointments work. Up to a dozen or more patients assemble for the visit. First, a nurse or physician’s assistant… Read More
Posted on December 18, 2011
The Cookie Thief!
I have the good fortune of lecturing professionally, and what I most enjoy presenting is the topic of communication between veterinarians and their clients. In every communication lecture I emphasize the importance of empathy. This involves veterinarians putting… Read More
Posted on July 18, 2011
Does Your Veterinarian Hear Your Concerns?
Until a few years ago it was darned near impossible to find much in the way of useful research about communication between veterinarians and their clients. Nowadays, several wonderful studies are surfacing. It’s about time I say, and… Read More
Posted on May 2, 2011
When the Doctor Becomes the Patient: Not Always a Pretty Picture
While in the midst of my post-surgery “down time” I’ve been chuckling a bit about what my own physicians have endured as a result of my medical background. How commonly is a surgeon interrogated about what type of… Read More
Posted on March 24, 2011
A Truly Hands-On Physical Examination
Have you ever gone to the doctor and realized after the visit that those healing hands never actually touched your body? C’mon now, that’s not okay! Nor is it okay for your veterinarian to skimp when it comes… Read More
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