I am writing this article on the 2nd April, however, by the time you read this, it will be May. If the last 2 weeks are anything to go by, who knows what could have changed in that time! It has been difficult to catch one’s breath with the speed at which things have developed both at a global / national level so it’s hard to know if what I am writing now will even be relevant in May!
Like everyone, we have had to adapt to the new rules and regulations and do all we can to help reduce contact between people. Under guidelines from our professional body, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, we have stopped seeing routine appointments and have focused on urgent and emergency cases only. We are still open as normal, but the result is that we have had to dramatically change the way we staff the practice and how we offer our services. We have also had to change how we interact with each other and our clients. Many of these changes are things that I am looking forward to being able to stop when we can – I don’t particularly enjoy doing consultations through a car window and I miss the friendly banter that happens in our reception area! However, necessity is the mother of invention as they say, and there are some things which we may end up doing differently and dare I say better as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The first is the use of the video call. In an effort to reduce face to face contact time with clients we have been conducting video consultations. If we are not sure if you need to bring your pet to the practice, then this is a great way to discuss a pet’s problem remotely and in some cases we can glean enough information to prescribe some medication. If we need to see the pet, then we have already done most of the discussion via video link and can then get on with an examination and treatment. As with all new initiatives, the first few times are a bit of a learning curve, so I decided to use my good mother (Thanks Mum!) as a guinea pig to test how user friendly our video consultation process was. Things went fairly smoothly, although we did end up having to talk on the old fashioned telephone during the set up phase which did defeat the purpose somewhat! However, we have since fine-tuned things and once most people have turned their web cam on (I’d never used mine before this!), things run pretty smoothly.
Will we use video consulting in the future? Don’t worry, the traditional consult at the practice is not going anywhere, but video consults will certainly have a part to play. They have their limitations as obviously you cannot physically examine a pet, but they are a great way to discuss conditions, undertake reviews and follow ups and are useful for visual problems such as skin conditions and lumps. It means you can access advice from your vet without having to worry about getting the dog in for an appointment while factoring school runs or access to a car! From our point of view, there is the advantage of being able to conduct a video consultation from the home and only having to worry about the top half of your attire, although I can assure you that I have never conducted a video consult in my pyjama bottoms!
The second is delivery of medication to your door. More and more we are choosing home delivery over collection in person and no more so than now. We’ve been delivering food and medications to anyone in the area who cannot get to the practice. Additionally, we have been posting many medications, flea and worm treatments direct to our clients to avoid unnecessary travel. I am sure this service is popular and a system in the future where flea and wormers are delivered to your door as you require them will be one less thing to put on the “to-do” list! Watch this space!
I don’t want to get too profound, but these are just two examples of how our practice can improve things as a result of the current situation and there will be countless other examples in all walks of life. For now, we must get through these tough times, but it is nice to know that there is genuine hope for positive change in the future. In the meantime, I hope you and your pets stay well.
