Wellness exams and beyond: three steps to apply the spectrum of care approach

Brea, CA - The concept of a spectrum of care approach is becoming increasingly important in veterinary medicine as a method to help increase access to care. For veterinary healthcare teams to appropriately tailor their care options to each family – which is at the heart of the spectrum of care approach – it's important to determine their preferences and learn about their priorities early in the appointment, often during history-taking. And those conversations often start with the veterinary care team, including technicians and assistants.

A spectrum of care approach combines evidence-based medicine with pet family goals and resources (e.g., emotional, physical, and financial) then communicates a range of options to pet families without judgment.

Since it’s impossible to tell what a client’s preferences are based on their demographics or appearance, it can be more helpful to find out what their primary motivating factor in choosing veterinary care is. According to novel preference research Nationwide conducted with Rehavior, regardless of their demographics, pet parents fall fairly evenly into one of three groups, each with a preference they view as most important: cost, choice, or convenience.

Wellness Exams: A Prime Opportunity

Wellness exams provide an ideal entry-level context for practicing the spectrum of care approach, since they make up a high percentage of the appointments in general practice. (The approach is equally as effective and essential in sick and emergency visits, but you may want to build up to using it there.) Emotions are generally stable, and energy levels are balanced. This allows for effective communication with pet owners without the added stress of dealing with a sick or injured animal. As your team becomes more familiar and comfortable with the steps below, consider integrating them into other types of appointments as well.

Here are three steps you can start using today to implement (or upgrade!) a spectrum of care approach:

Step 1: Ask open-ended questions

Why it's important: To get a sense of each owner’s perspective on where their pet’s health falls in relation to their family life, schedules, and finances.

1. Describe your pet's daily routine.

2. What recent changes in your pet’s behavior or health have you noticed?

3. What are your top concerns when it comes to your pet's wellness care?

4. What challenges might your family face with your resources, such as schedules, family life, and finances, that we should consider when discussing your pet's wellness care?

5. What are your specific goals for today's visit?

Step 2: Look up their pet on the Pet HealthZone

Why it’s important: To gauge reactions to likely health scenarios, and discover insight on attitudes toward prevention, treatment, and costs more solid than a hypothetical.

1. Show them their specific pet’s breed and life stage: ThePetHealthZone.com offers detailed breed profiles for over 100 pure and mixed-breed dogs and cats, and it includes health conditions Nationwide data indicated are higher-risk for each breed at each life stage.

2. Review the conditions listed under “My pet's health planner” and ask if they have any questions about prevention or if they’ve noticed any signs. (They may not have realized a cough can indicate heart disease, for example, or that a cat drinking more water may indicate diabetes or kidney disease.)

3. Use the estimated costs to feel out their level of comfort with the cost of care, including whether they have pet insurance.

Step 3: Document their responses

Why it’s important: To ensure you can share your findings with the rest of the team.

1. Take detailed notes that your team can easily access, being careful to avoid assumptions.

2. Showing that the team recognizes a pet family’s preference without judgement can lead to deepened trust and a stronger bond between client and care team.

3. By bringing together both the family’s preferences and their pet’s health risks, veterinary nurses can assist in developing tailored, risk-based preventive or treatment care plans that will deliver positive outcomes for pets and better experiences for families. This may involve recommending routine screenings, dietary adjustments, or lifestyle modifications to optimize the pet's well-being and minimize the risk of potential health complications.

Keep in mind that circumstances and preferences can change with time. A family that used to focus primarily on convenience may experience financial hardship that means cost becomes their main concern. Some people may identify most with choice, but their busy schedules mean convenience plays a large secondary role. Continually using the steps above will help your team stay on top of the client’s needs, ensuring you can deliver the level of care they prefer and that the pet deserves.

Visit spectrum-of-care.com to learn more.

Emily M. Tincher, DVM, is Senior Director of Pet Health at Nationwide. She is a second-generation veterinarian focused on providing care for more pets by combining evidence-based medicine and pet family-centered communication to practice across a spectrum of care. Dr. Tincher is a member of the Board of Directors for the Veterinary Leadership Institute and has become a sought-after speaker, most recently on spectrum of care topics, presenting at major veterinary conferences across the North America.