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The Key to Compliance

By Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR

Recently I’ve been exploring compliance in the veterinary profession. It seems to me that the key to getting pet owners to act on our recommendations boils down to the concept of WIIFM—“What’s In It For Me?” Not to say pet owners only care about themselves … in fact, maybe a better concept is WIIFMAMP—“What’s In It For Me, And My Pet?”

The 2009 AAHA compliance study made a good point when it urged veterinary professionals to focus less on the WHAT and HOW of our recommendations, and stress instead the WHY. For example, a vaccination is not just a quick subcutaneous injection with little or no side effects, but instead is an easy, economical way to prevent costly and possibly fatal disease during the life of your pet. Spay and neuter is not just a relatively safe and routine way to sterilize your pet, but instead is a proven way to reduce the likelihood of some health conditions in pets as they mature. The pet owner cares less about the itemized list of details on a spay estimate, and more about WHY they should take your advice. Not to say that pet owners won’t examine that financial estimate—they certainly will. Then this gives you the opportunity to explain WHY preanesthetic bloodwork is a routine part of the procedure—to detect any compromises in the pet’s health before administering general anesthesia. Or why there is a charge for an intravenous catheter—because it provides access to administer stabilizing fluids which help the pet recover faster, and provides access in case of emergency.

When looking for the “why” factor (not the “wow” factor, by the way) ask yourself, how does this benefit the client or pet? Often we really do get caught up in the “wow” factor. We like the medicine, the technology, and the newest options now available to us to help animals. But this wow factor isn’t what matters most to the client—they need to hear about the value of what you’re proposing from the perspective of the relationship they have with their beloved pet.

By the way, we all can easily understand how difficult clients are the number one stressor for every position in the practice. But, in the compassion fatigue survey that provided this data, the full category name was difficult and noncompliant clients. We all feel better about our work when clients accept our recommendations regarding the health and welfare of their pets. Then we know we are making a difference in the lives of pets and families even when they aren’t in our practice.

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The Key to Compliance

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A good diagnosis and prescriptions won't work if owners do not comply. This is especially the situation with Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) cases. Critical care of crate rest is typically tough for owners to follow through on. Dodgerslist in conjunction with veterinary professionals has produced a DVD to help dog owners learn about the "why's" of IVDD in a non-technical manner. An excellent reinforcement tool for the vet and helpful for the whole family get on board with how to do crate rest. $3 at www.Dodgerslist.com Paula, Columbia Falls, MT Posted: 9/27/2010 10:30:34 AM In the practice where I have worked as a consultant, we are firm in using WIIFM in our marketing and office. You must use this to get across key points to the pet owners. Thank you for bringing this out in your article. We, in the industry need more vets to get this. I talk about it everytime I host my free marketing calls for vets. Located here: http://marketingforvets.yolasite.com marl, shawnee, PA Posted: 8/4/2010 1:00:11 AM