Communication skills education onsite in a veterinary practice

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Communication Studies
• Human-Animal Interaction

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial in veterinary practice for optimal patient care and client satisfaction.
• Existing communication skills education for veterinarians often lacks a practice-based, integrated approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a communication skills education program for veterinarians within a real-world practice setting.
• To measure changes in veterinarian-client communication behaviors pre- and post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• A case-based, pre-test/post-test intervention study was conducted with four veterinarians in Denver, CO.
• A year-long curriculum included interactive modules, coaching, and communication laboratories.
• The Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) analyzed 48 videotaped client-veterinarian interactions.

Main Results:

• Veterinarians significantly increased lifestyle-social data collection (p<0.02) and partnership/rapport-building communication (p<0.03, p<0.01).
• Clients provided more lifestyle/social information (p<0.02) and expressed more emotional statements (p<0.01) post-training.
• The intervention fostered a more client-centered communication approach.

Conclusions:

• Practice-based communication training effectively enhances veterinarian-client communication skills.
• The intervention promoted a more collaborative and empathetic communication style, benefiting both veterinarians and clients.
• While findings are from a case study, they support the efficacy of this novel training model in veterinary practice.