Standards of care.
There is no manual to consult when selecting a treatment plan for one of our patients. There aren't really that much in the way of guidelines or industry standards. Many of the practices or treatments that I wouldn't consider for my own animals are perfectly legal and in their own way ethical treatment plans for many different conditions. I could not begin to list the disagreements you could hear just by putting three or four veterinarians in a room and bringing up certain topics.
The title of this might sound like I'm suggesting you could find a "better" veterinarian. In a way I suppose I am but it would be my version of a better veterinarian. This version may or may not coincide with your version of what a good veterinarian is. My purpose in writing this week's blog was not to elevate one method of practicing veterinary medicine above another but instead to illustrate that there are in fact many different methods of practice in the first place. I think it goes without saying, however, that if I felt all the different methods were equivalent I would make an effort to incorporate all of them into my practice style. I don't.
Communication is probably the most important aspect of what I do. I can look just about any problem or treatment up but if I can't effectively communicate where I'm coming from then what I know how to do and what I can find doesn't really matter. If we are approaching the problem with a different set of expectations or from different perspectives then we may also come across communication barriers. A lot the communication issues we encounter between veterinarians have to do with our different approaches to the practice of medicine. It would stand to reason then, that different clients with different personal beliefs, expectations of pet health care and attitudes towards pet ownership are going to have more meaningful relationships with veterinarians who more closely fit their perspectives.
My personal practice style would best be described as science based, the buzz word term for that right now in 2012 would be "evidence based medicine." I like to imagine that long after the term "evidence based medicine" disappears from prime time television there will still be veterinarians and physicians who would prefer to see scientific evidence supporting a treatment before they utilize it on their patients. My professional approach to treatments or recommendations is to always lean towards those with a solid amount of evidence acquired under controlled circumstances.
When I am talking to a client about an issue that their pet is having, my recommendations are going to be based on the most recent scientific literature I have available to me. I am going to shy away from treatments that may work in the short term but do not address the underlying issue. I am also wary of treatments that may seem like they are working due to the cyclic nature of many of the chronic diseases we deal with. It often happens to me: I'll be in the exam room talking to a client about what we have found and what I am going to recommend and I can watch the corners of their eyes twitch. I'm going to stay away from the things other veterinarians may do that I disagree with or don't take part in. It's not the point of this week. I can only tell you where I'm coming from and why.
The point to all these words this week is to talk to your vet. Ask them questions that strike a little deeper than the typical, "What should I do?" Ask them why they are making the recommendation they are making. Ask them how they came to the conclusion they reached. Finding a good vet that you connect with won't make the medicine any less expensive but it certainly improves on the overall experience. It also improves the quality of care your pet receives. And that is priceless.
Comments