Visiting the vet can be stressful for clients and their pets, particularly when it involves an emergency event or discussions about end-of-life care.
New research from Dr Vanessa Rohlf has found that trauma informed care can play an important role in supporting veterinary clients in these stressful situations.
“Trauma informed care is an approach increasingly used in human health care, but little is known about its application in veterinary settings,” she says. “To address this, our study documented the emotional experiences of veterinary clients and the impact of trauma informed care on client outcomes.”
The study found that the experience of trauma informed care was associated with positive client outcomes, such as satisfaction with care quality and likelihood of returning to the clinic.
“Importantly, trauma informed care was characterised by five features: transparent and client centred communication, enhancing emotional safety for clients, empowerment by equalising the power imbalance that may exist between the veterinary team and clients they serve, and an increased emphasis on informed consent.”
Dr Rohlf says the study demonstrates that, although outcomes for pets might not always be positive, which leads to negative emotional experiences for clients, these can be ameliorated by implementing trauma informed care.
“Given the links between trauma informed care and positive client outcomes, the promotion of trauma informed care through staff training and enacting trauma informed policies and procedures is important.”
