Convincing Clients About Overnight Care:
Veterinary Hospitals maintain the mentality that patient care is top priority. Overnight care is something that is a part of that statement. Clients sometimes don’t understand that this care is essential for a full recovery. This article will highlight what is the “best care” for patients in overnight care. VetHelpDirect has more information on this subject as well.
Why is Overnight Care Important?
In every veterinary hospital, protocol may be similar, but is not the same. Hospitals that have the capacity to house animals overnight, each have their own schedules and procedures. Overnight care is important for the patients who had a late surgery in the afternoon, and aren’t well enough to recover at home yet. It is also for patients that may have difficulty recovering or that have a major surgery performed and need extra monitoring.
A pets recovery may not be like them sleeping in their owners bed at home, but veterinary professionals know that the best place for a canine companion to be post-operation is in the care of professionals. If a pet is recovering at home, they aren’t guaranteed to get the same medical attention as they would in the clinic. It is important to let clients know this, so that they can make the best, most educated decision for their pet. Having the patient at the clinic allows for testing and alerts to get immediate attention if needed.
What Works Best for Your Hospital?
When you are considering what works best for your hospital, know what the capacity is for your workers. Do you have a rotation with your day-time staff that they work nights one day of the week? Or does your hospital hire overnight veterinary professionals to watch after the patients on their extended stay? As some hospitals have only “on call” staff overnight which can make overnight monitoring stressful for both the veterinary professionals and the pet owners.
Knowing the protocol of your hospital can be helpful to inform your clients’ how their animal will be cared for during their stay. Knowing who is caring for their pets is something that is important to the pet owner. Over the more recent years, due to advances in pest control and other aspects in the industry, pet owners have become increasingly more aware of their pets. Some hospitals, however, do not currently have the capacity to house patients overnight. This is something to consider if your hospital performs surgeries. It can hinder the number that is able to be performed as well as which types of surgery. This is because some of the more invasive surgeries require longer recovery time in the hospital.
Assuring Clients their Pet is Under the Best Care Possible:
Clients more so than ever have an increasing interest in their canine companion’s health status. They want to know that their pet is getting the best care possible when they are in the hands of someone other than themselves. As veterinary professionals it is important to assure the pet’s owner that they are under the care of professionals. Some practices don’t have the capability to give overnight care. It may be that they are currently understaffed to withstand the influx of patients if they were to offer overnight care. However, some hospitals do have the capacity. If they do have the capacity, the level of care may vary. Staff members may be on-call and not physically in the hospital unless needed. Hospitals may also only have the capability to care for in-patient canines and not emergency care.
Have a Plan:
Having a plan lined up for the client to see how their pet is going to be cared for may be beneficial. This could include many different things. Having your surgical checklist handy is great for showing your clients all that will be done before, during and after the surgery. If you do not have one in your hospital, a recent blog of ours covers why they are important. The plan that you outline to clients can also include the “perks” of what your hospital has to offer. Some of these can include extra attention given to the patient after surgery if they would like. It may also include updates sent to the pet owner about how the pet is recovering. Whatever your plan is in your hospital, it is helpful to make that relay of information to the pet owner.
Technology to Assist with Overnight Care:
What if we told you there was a technology that can assist with overnight care? VetMeasure created MeasureON! to assist the veterinary professionals in every aspect of monitoring in the hospital. MeasureON! smart harness consistently measures the temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate of the canine patient that it is on remotely. Measurements of the ambient temperature are also taken through the harness. Remote monitoring can be made easy with the harness. The harness is connected to the hospital Wi-Fi, and will send alerts if a patient’s vitals go outside the set safe ranges. Whether your hospital keeps a lot of canine patients overnight or not many at all, MeasureON! Could be the solution to set your clients’ minds at ease. For more information about VetMeasure and MeasureON! smart harness visit our website!