Mwacalimba Kennedy K, Contadini Francesca M, Spofford Nathaniel, Lopez Karen, Hunt Aimee, Wright Andrea, Lund Elizabeth M, Minicucci Larissa
Outcomes Research, Zoetis Petcare, Parsippany, NJ, United States.
Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
Front Vet Sci. 2020 Feb 26;7:89. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00089. eCollection 2020.
This paper describes dog owner and veterinarian perceptions around the use of a validated canine quality of life (QOL) survey to facilitate wellness conversations in two clinical settings: a veterinary teaching hospital (pilot, Phase 1) and five corporate general practice hospitals (Phase 2). Phase 1 results showed that dog owners felt the survey was valuable for understanding their dog's QOL, with 81% of owners expressing interest in learning more about canine QOL. Phase 2 reinforced owner perceptions about the survey conveyed during the pilot phase, and veterinarians reported that the survey facilitated client communication related to preventive care without increasing consultation time. These results demonstrate that beyond using QOL assessments to track patient health, the use of a QOL survey during veterinary visits could improve owner-veterinarian discussions around QOL, wellness, services and preventive care. To fully realize these benefits in clinical settings, veterinary staff preparation may be needed to communicate the purpose of QOL assessments to clients and thus facilitate deeper conversations about client needs and concerns. Key tools for achieving these could therefore include (1) sufficient veterinary team training to understand the QOL assessment and its purpose (2) training in how to communicate QOL to clients, and (3) reflexive use of QOL assessment results to engage clients in preventive care discussions. The veterinarian and client can then discuss the pros and cons of the various aspects of QOL and preventive care to arrive at a cooperative decision.
本文描述了犬主和兽医对于在两种临床环境中使用经过验证的犬类生活质量（QOL）调查问卷以促进健康话题交流的看法：一家兽医教学医院（试点，第1阶段）和五家企业综合诊所（第2阶段）。第1阶段的结果表明，犬主认为该调查问卷对于了解其犬类的生活质量很有价值，81%的犬主表示有兴趣进一步了解犬类生活质量。第2阶段强化了试点阶段传达给犬主的对该调查问卷的看法，兽医报告称该调查问卷促进了与预防保健相关的医患沟通，且未增加咨询时间。这些结果表明，除了使用生活质量评估来跟踪患者健康状况外，在兽医诊疗过程中使用生活质量调查问卷可以改善犬主与兽医围绕生活质量、健康、服务和预防保健展开的讨论。为了在临床环境中充分实现这些益处，可能需要对兽医工作人员进行培训，以便向客户传达生活质量评估的目的，从而促进关于客户需求和担忧的更深入讨论。因此，实现这些目标的关键工具可能包括：（1）对兽医团队进行充分培训，使其了解生活质量评估及其目的；（2）培训如何向客户传达生活质量信息；（3）反思性地使用生活质量评估结果，促使客户参与预防保健讨论。然后，兽医和客户可以讨论生活质量和预防保健各个方面的利弊，以达成合作决策。
