ACVC 2019: Can an open hospital strengthen the veterinarian-client bond?
The pros and cons of having veterinary clients around while you work
An “open” animal hospital is one that allows clients to be involved in their pet's medical care. While pets are undergoing surgeries, dentistry or other treatments, the client is able to look through a glass wall and watch every step of the process, says Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), veterinary education simulation laboratory manager at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York.
At this year's Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference (ACVC), Yagi - who previously worked at Adobe Animal Hospital, an "open" animal hospital with two locations in California (Los Gatos and Los Altos) - shared with dvm360 some of the benefits and disadvantages of this unique policy.
“It's a really good way to build trust and have a lot of transparency with the client," he said. On the flip side, “there could be some liability concerns where the clients in the back could be exposed to some job-related risks we have,” he explained.
In the video, Dr. Yagi shares more about this “open” policy concept and how it could help clients gain a better understanding of what's going on with their pets.
