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Increasing Client Compliance When it Comes to Otitis

Published on 7/10/19

 

One of the most frustrating aspects in the management of otitis externa is the one that’s out of your control: client compliance. At-home treatments and follow-up examinations are often where treatment plans break down. So what can we, as veterinary professionals, do to support at-home care and ensure our patients are getting the care they need? Read on!

 

Identify the Barriers to Client Compliance

It is easy to blame cost as the sole roadblock to client compliance, but the reasons behind this barrier are never that simple. A lack of compliance can be attributed to many factors:

 

 

Understanding the common roadblocks to client compliance, allows you to create a strategy to combat them.

 

Client Education

Client education is essential for success. This statement is probably one you have heard often because it is one of the most important aspects of a successful veterinary practice. Clients need to understand the “why” behind treatment recommendations to fully grasp their importance and the need for compliance. When a patient is diagnosed with otitis, time should be spent on educating the client on their pet’s condition. This should include:

 

 

Clients may discontinue home treatments and skip follow-up exams because the pet’s ears “appear” to be better, then end up frustrated when the infection reoccurs. By cautioning pet owners against stopping treatment prematurely, and educating on the importance of completing recommended therapy, this frustration can be avoided. Clients need to understand that simply treating the clinical signs of an ear infection may not be enough. Most often, ear infections are caused by a separate underlying cause that also needs to be addressed and is crucial to avoid reoccurring infections.

 

Communication Skills

A major component of client education is having effective communication skills. You took careful time to explain to the pet owner about their condition, tests involved, and expectations of treatment, but did the client leave the clinic with a good understanding of everything they were told or did they leave confused? A confused client is likely to not follow treatment recommendations, or return for progress examinations.

Ensure the time you spend on client education is well spent.

 

 

Use this client handout teaching clients how to clean their pet’s ears! For more resources like this one, visit our Resources Page!

 

Using a combination of written, verbal, and visual communication techniques will increase the likelihood that your message is understood and directions properly followed.

 

Ensuring Proper Treatment Procedures at Home

You have provided your client with the education and take-home materials needed to ensure they understand what needs to be done, but this is only half the battle. The client needs to be able and willing to follow through with the home-care plan.

A technician should demonstrate to the client how to properly clean the pet’s ears, and apply topical medications.

 

 

Never assume a client is able or willing to comply with the at-home treatment plan. After a demonstration by the technician or veterinarian, ask the client whether they think they can do it at home, and will they?

 

If indicated by the pet’s diagnosis, offer treatment plans that require less at-home care. Products like Osurina®, from Elanco™, offer ear treatment options that require only two doses per affected ear, dosed one week apart.

 

 

Continual evaluation of client education and communication skills is a vital step in improving client compliance. Everybody wins when compliance increases; clients are happier and patients are healthier. To learn about how to ensure your otitis patients come back for a re-check and how to nail the post-appointment follow-up, check out the July/August 2019 Edition of the Penn Connection magazine (Article on Page 6). While you’re at it, you could win a Dog Days of Summer Lounge Kit by finding all of the Pineapples (Details on Page 9)!

 

 

Read our last blog for some tips on helping owners of dogs with noise aversion!

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