Evaluation of a novel communication and consultation skills model (WISE COACH) on dog owner perceptions of veterinarians and projected spending on veterinary care

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of a novel communication and consultation skills model (WISE COACH [WC]) on dog owner perceptions of veterinarians and projected spending on veterinary care. SAMPLE 1,200 US dog owners who had visited a veterinarian within the prior 18 months. PROCEDURES Video recordings of 2 staged client consultations were made, with the veterinarian following the WC recommendations in one video and not following them in the other (control). Participants were randomly assigned to view one of the videos and completed an online survey to assess their perceptions and projected spending. Qualitative responses were coded to identify themes. RESULTS The veterinarian was rated significantly higher in the WC video than in the control video for the characteristics first impression, skilled and knowledgeable, cares about me, cares about my pet, and communicates clearly, and was rated significantly lower for the characteristic rushed or abrupt. Participants who viewed the WC video were significantly more likely to follow the veterinarian’s recommendations, return to see the veterinarian, and recommend the veterinarian. They were also approximately 1.4 times as likely to approve the full recommended treatment plan, and their projected total spending was approximately 15% higher than projected spending for participants who viewed the control video. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results showed improved client perceptions, client retention, quality of patient care, and financial metrics when the veterinarian followed the WC recommendations. Further study is needed to determine whether this model may also improve veterinarian well-being by improving client relationships and decreasing resistance to recommendations.

Independent and Supplementary Prescribing

Written by a group of multi-professional authors, this fully updated third edition builds on the success of this classic text. The book explores a number of key areas for prescribers, including prescribing within a multidisciplinary team context, consultation skills, ethical and legal issues surrounding prescribing, the psychology and sociology of prescribing, and applied pharmacology. Among the other topics featured are monitoring skills, medicines concordance, evidence based prescribing, prescribing within a public health perspective, calculation skills, prescribing in dermatology, and minimizing the risk of prescribing errors. Each chapter has been revised and additional chapters on antimicrobial prescribing, education and training to become a prescriber, and a new section on renal impairment have been added. This book is an essential resource for both new and experienced prescribers and anyone undertaking the non-medical prescribing (NMP) programme including nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals and optometrists.

The changing context of advanced practice nursing within the UK community care setting

Advanced practice nursing (APN) roles have developed partly to address demand and workforce issues. In community care settings and general practice, an advanced nursing practitioner is generally understood to mean a nurse who has undertaken additional education and training in clinical assessment, including history-taking and physical examination, clinical reasoning and independent prescribing, so they can safely manage patients presenting with undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions. Capabilities in the Skills for Health framework cover everything from communication and consultation skills, practising holistically and personalised care, to working with colleagues and in teams. The framework is intended to ensure advanced nursing practitioners work to an advanced level. It is also designed to support them to demonstrate and evidence their capabilities to service commissioners, employers, people accessing healthcare and the public.

Experiences of remote consulting for patients and neurologists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland

BackgroundRemote consulting is an emerging model in managing chronic neurological conditions and has been widely implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this national survey was to investigate the initial experiences of remote consulting for neurologists and patients with established neurological conditions under follow-up during the first COVID-19 phase.MethodsIn collaboration with the Scottish Association of Neurological Sciences and the Neurological Alliance of Scotland, we conducted a web-based survey of neurologists and patients between October and November 2020.FindingsData was available for 62 neurologists and 201 patients. The consensus among neurologists was that remote consulting is a satisfactory way of delivering healthcare in selected groups of patients. For practical and technical reasons, there was preference for phone over video consultations (phone 63% vs video 33%, p=0.003). The prevailing opinion among clinicians was that considerable training interventions for remote consultation skills are required (‘yes’ 63% vs ‘no’ 37%, p=0.009) to improve clinician consultation skills and successfully embed this new model of care.Most patients perceived remote consultations as safe, effective and convenient, with 89% of patients being satisfied with their remote consultation experience. Although traditional face-to-face consultations were the favoured way of interaction for 62% of patients, a significant proportion preferred that some of their future consultations be remote.InterpretationAlthough not a replacement for face-to-face consultations, this survey illustrates that remote consulting can be an acceptable adjunct to traditional face-to-face consultations for doctors and patients. More research is required to identify overall safety and applicability.

Initiatives to Promote School-Based Mental Health Support by Department of Educational Sciences, University of Education Under Vietnam National University

This chapter describes a case study of the university’s attempts to support general education institutions through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Applying the School-Based Mental Health Collaboration, faculties from the University of Education, Vietnam National University Hanoi took a whole-school approach to promote mental health services for students all over the country via various channels. With multiple training webinars on studying and coping skills during social distancing periods for students, classroom consultation skills for teachers, initiatives from the university attracted remarkable responses from the community. Suggestions to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the efforts, including digitalization consideration, targeting and effective mobilization of resources, dissemination of learning materials, and long-term planning, are discussed in the last half of the chapter, after reviewing and evaluating their impact and potential.

Learner Perceptions of a Video Recording Activity for Patient Consultation Training in a Pharmacist-Led Primary Care Clinic Located in an Academic Institution

Description of the problem: Development of evidence-based educational activities is needed to provide educators with the tools to aid learners in strengthening patient consultation skills in the primary care practice setting, an emerging area of practice in Canada. Objective: The objective was to develop an educational activity to bring self-awareness to fourth year pharmacy student and pharmacy resident consultation skills and to determine learner perceptions of this educational activity, including identifying the key areas of skill development that learners found were positively impacted. Description of the innovation: An innovative learning activity utilizing audio-video technology to enable recording and reviewing of learner-led patient consultations was developed and implemented within the University of British Columbia Pharmacists Clinic. Learners had the opportunity to lead 60-minute patient consultations. With patient and learner consent, patient consultations were recorded for learner viewing and self-assessment. Pharmacist preceptors supervised and assessed learner performance. Learners completed an online anonymous survey after the learning activity to evaluate its value. Critical analysis: Between September 2018 and July 2019, eight pharmacy learners, consisting of student pharmacists (5) and post-graduate pharmacy residents (3) completed the learning activity and provided their feedback. The majority of learners (87.5%) felt the learning activity was beneficial to the development of patient consultation skills. Learners gained awareness of areas requiring improvement which included appropriate questioning, clear and concise language, time management and non-verbal habits. Next steps: Adapting and modifying this learning activity to align with specific practice settings and learning objectives is feasible for other primary care practice sites offering experiential practicums.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE CONSULTATION SKILLS OF SOCIAL WORKERS WHEN SUPPORTING AUTISTIC CHILDREN’S FAMILIES: EVIDENCE IN VIETNAM.

The research has identified the factors affecting the level of response to the job requirement of social workers when conducting counseling for families of children with autism in autism care and education centers. To achieve this goal, in this study we surveyed 89 social workers in Hanoi city. The results of the analysis of the multivariate linear regression model have shown that 6 factors have a significant impact on the level of response to the requirement of counseling skills when assisting autistic children's families, including (i) passion for work, (ii) professional knowledge and practical experience, (iii) proactive activeness, (iv) training opportunities to improve qualifications, (v) employment incentives, (vi) job requirements. The results showed that the passion for the job was most appreciated. On this basis, the study offers several meaningful solutions to improve the job response level of social workers when conducting counseling for autistic children's families.

An introduction to urgent care for the GP trainee

Working in urgent care requires the ability to manage medical, surgical, social and mental health presentations. It is essential to understand the organisational aspects of how such care is provided. Communication and consultation skills need to be adapted to different clinical contexts. Self-management of safety, time, and stress are important capabilities. One of the requirements of GP training is to demonstrate capabilities in urgent care, including delivery of safe patient care, demonstration of effective communication skills, maintaining continuity for patients and coordinating care across services. In this article we aim to give GP trainees an overview of the urgent care service in Scotland and to give advice on best practice.