A Need for Targeted Teaching of Shared Decision-Making as Identified from an Assessment of Client-Centered Communication Skills Training with Companion Animal Veterinarians.

Shared decision-making has been increasingly discussed as a communication practice within veterinary medicine, and it is gaining more traction for diagnostic and treatment planning conversations and specifically offering a spectrum of care. This teaching tip describes the data from an investigation of veterinarians' shared decision-making in a pre-test/post-test communication skills training intervention that used a client-centered, skills-based communication approach. Practice teams from a purposive sample of four companion animal veterinary clinics in Texas participated in a 15-month communication skills intervention, including interactive group workshops and one-on-one communication coaching.

Workplace psychosocial factors are associated with veterinary employees' organizational commitment to their current veterinary hospital.

Objective: To classify a sample of veterinary professionals into distinct organizational-commitment profiles and to identify associations between psychosocial aspects of the workplace and organizational-commitment profile membership.

Sample: 487 veterinary employees who worked for a corporate veterinary organization in Canada.

Methods: Survey components measured for this study included the Three-Component Model (TCM) Employee Commitment Survey-Revised, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, and participant demographics.

Companion animal veterinarians discuss aspects of one health with pet owners during most veterinary appointments.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and context of one-health conversations between veterinarians and clients in companion animal practice.

Sample: A random selection of 60 companion animal veterinarians; a convenience sample of 917 interactions from Southern Ontario, Canada. Of these, 100 audio-video-recorded interactions including 47 of 60 veterinarians were randomly selected for inclusion in this study.

On-site communication skills education increases client-centered communication in four companion animal practices.

Objective: To evaluate veterinarian-client communication before and after a 15-month on-site communication skills training intervention.

Procedures: Multipractice, pretest-posttest intervention study.

Sample: A convenience sample of 4 companion animal practices owned by a single practice group in Austin, Texas (n = 9 veterinarians; 170 audio recordings).

Veterinary technicians contribute to shared decision-making during companion animal veterinary appointments.

Objective: To describe and compare veterinary professionals' use of shared decision-making during companion animal appointments.

Design: Multi-practice cross-sectional study.

Sample: A purposive sample of 4 companion animal veterinary clinics in a group practice in Texas.

Discussion of cost continues to be uncommon in companion animal veterinary practice.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and nature of cost conversations occurring during veterinarian-client-patient interactions within companion animal practice.

Samples: 60 randomly selected, practicing veterinarians working in 55 practices across southern Ontario, Canada, and 909 of their clients, sampled by convenience.

Procedures: A cross-sectional descriptive study including 917 video-recorded appointments.

On-site communication skills education increases appointment-specific client satisfaction in four companion animal practices in Texas.

Objective: To assess the impact of a 15-month, in-practice communication skills intervention on client visit satisfaction.

Sample: 4 purposely selected veterinary clinics, 9 veterinarians, and 930 appointment-specific client satisfaction surveys.

Procedures: The study was designed as a multipractice, preintervention-postintervention study.

Pet owners' and companion animal veterinarians' perceptions of weight-related veterinarian-client communication.

Objective: To compare pet owners' and veterinarians' perceptions of veterinarian-client conversations concerning pet weight and identify challenges related to communication about weight.

Sample Population: Veterinarians (n = 24) and pet owners (27) in southern Ontario, Canada.

Procedures: 3 veterinarian and 5 pet owner focus groups were conducted with a semistructured interview format.

Veterinary professionals' weight-related communication when discussing an overweight or obese pet with a client.

Objective: Pet weight may be difficult for veterinary professionals to address with clients, particularly when pets are overweight or obese. The objective of this study was to characterize the communication processes and content of weight-related conversations occurring between veterinary professionals and clients.

Sample: Audio-video recordings of 917 veterinarian-client-patient interactions involving a random sample of 60 veterinarians and a convenience sample of clients.

Evaluating third- and fourth-year veterinary students' communication skills knowledge and performance at Colorado State University.

Objective: To assess the impact of a communication program on a cohort of veterinary students' knowledge and performance of communication skills.

Sample: Class cohort of veterinary students at Colorado State University.

Procedures: Year 3 students' knowledge of communication skills was evaluated using quizzes, administered before and after the fall 2016 and spring 2017 Clinical Communication Skills-I and II junior practicum.

Companion animal veterinarians' and veterinary clients' perceptions of information exchanged while communicating about blood tests.

Background: Blood tests play a vital role in veterinary medicine, as they enable veterinarians to make decisions about their patients' medical care and provide opportunities to engage clients in veterinary care. The objective of this study was to explore perspectives of veterinary clients and veterinarians on current reporting practices for blood tests ordered in companion animal practice. The type of information communicated and client information seeking behaviours were examined.

Evaluating shared decision-making between companion animal veterinarians and their clients using the Observer OPTION instrument.

Background: Communication practices used by veterinarians can impact client's involvement in decision-making. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of client involvement in veterinary care decisions and factors impacting client involvement.

Methods: A random sample of practising companion animal veterinarians and a convenience sample of pet owners were recruited.

Pet owners' and veterinarians' perceptions of information exchange and clinical decision-making in companion animal practice.

One of the most complex aspects of the veterinarian-client-patient interaction is the clinical decision-making process. Research suggests that the approach to communication used by veterinarians can impact veterinary clients' involvement in the decision-making process and their ultimate satisfaction. Using different approaches to the decision-making process may affect how information is exchanged and consequently how decisions are made.

Effect of Capacity for Care on cat admission trends at the Guelph Humane Society, 2011-2015.

In recent years, there has been a growing concern regarding populations of cats who are homeless. Shelters are constantly overwhelmed by the influx of cats without caregivers and are seeking solutions to enhance positive outcomes for them. In 2014, the Guelph Humane Society implemented a population management program to expedite the movement of cats through the shelter by decreasing the average nonhuman animal's length of stay using scheduled intakes to control for overcrowding and by implementing strategies to increase adoption rates.

Risk factors affecting length of stay of cats in an animal shelter: A case study at the Guelph Humane Society, 2011-2016.

There is a strong need for animal shelters to determine strategies to decrease the incidence of healthy animals being euthanized due to a lack of space. Thus, the Capacity for Care program was implemented at the Guelph Humane Society during August 2014. One objective of the Capacity for Care program is to decrease length of stay of cats within the shelter to improve individual welfare and increase the number of successful adoptions.