As defined by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), informed consent, which is an essential part of any contract, can only be given by a client who has had the opportunity to consider a range of reasonable treatment options (including euthanasia), with associated fee estimates, and had the significance and main risks explained to them.
Dr Elly Russell recently reported her research on 100 cases of alleged professional negligence, involving canine veterinary patients reported to the UK’s professional indemnity insurer. The Veterinary Defense Society (VDS) found that communication issues were significant in more than 80 percent of those cases.
Those communication issues can impact the trust of the clients, the healthcare of the patient and impact practitioners and their teams. The practitioners can experience emotional distress and fear the consequences of being involved in a clinical error. This can result in poor workplace culture, increased stress in the vets and nurses, as well as contributing to burnout.
The new partnership between Vetstream and Vet Consent is addressing these communication issues. Vetlexicon’s clinical and customer-facing content is now integrated into the Vet Consent platform. Allowing practitioners to choose related information to share with the pet owner, alongside the clinical details of the case and the related costs. All of this is packaged within the Vet Consent application. The service is ready to be integrated within PMS platforms, and a direct solution is currently in development.
Vetstream’s CEO Dr G Mark Johnston said “We are delighted with the partnership with Vet Consent, as we share the common goal of supporting vets on the front line of clinical care. Informed consent is such a key issue in practice. This partnership allows clinical teams to use our client factsheets in the context of the all-important consent process in the most effective way, helping to resolve these consent challenges. By taking the pressure off clinical teams, and making sure everything is documented, this should lead to improved client understanding and fewer complaints to the RCVS and VDS.”
Dan Archibald of Vet Consent added that “‘From the practice’s PMS system, consent forms can be sent electronically by any member of staff, so that clients are provided with the information they need and have time to give proper consideration. In the meantime, clinical teams can progress with diagnostic workups that need urgent attention, taking much of the pressure and complications out of gaining informed consent in emergency situations.
“Informed consent for both treatment and cost is gathered electronically, so clinical teams have the reassurance that there will be fewer opportunities for miscommunication regarding the cost of treatment – an area that can be particularly challenging when pet owners are highly concerned for their animal.”
