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The future of veterinary communication:: Partnership or persuasion? A qualitative investigation of veterinary communication in the pursuit of client behaviour change

The future of veterinary communication:: Partnership or persuasion? A qualitative investigation of veterinary communication in the pursuit of client behaviour change
The future of veterinary communication:: Partnership or persuasion? A qualitative investigation of veterinary communication in the pursuit of client behaviour change
Client behaviour change is at the heart of veterinary practice, where promoting animal health and welfare is often synonymous with engaging clients in animal management practices. In the medical realm, extensive research points to the link between practitioner communication and patient behavioural outcomes, suggesting that the veterinary industry could benefit from a deeper understanding of veterinarian communication and its effects on client motivation. Whilst extensive studies have quantified language components typical of the veterinary consultation, the literature is lacking in-depth qualitative analysis in this context. The objective of this study was to address this deficit, and offer new critical insight into veterinary communication strategies in the pursuit of client behaviour change. Role-play interactions (n = 15) between UK cattle veterinarians and an actress experienced in medical and veterinary education were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. Analysis revealed that, overall, veterinarians tend to communicate in a directive style (minimal eliciting of client opinion, dominating the consultation agenda, prioritising instrumental support), reflecting a paternalistic role in the consultation interaction. Given this finding, recommendations for progress in the veterinary industry are made; namely, the integration of evidence-based medical communication methodologies into clinical training. Use of these types of methodologies may facilitate the adoption of more mutualistic, relationship-centred communication in veterinary practice, supporting core psychological elements of client motivation and resultant behaviour change.
1932-6203
Bard, Alison
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Main, David
c845fd4f-4a35-4603-bd47-12088fafa962
Haase, Anne
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Whay, Helen R
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Roe, Emma
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Reyher, Kristen K.
de247d58-f579-4c6e-9c35-02dc594ca8e8
Bard, Alison
77d9692c-2a9c-400a-8593-8a33836f8bc4
Main, David
c845fd4f-4a35-4603-bd47-12088fafa962
Haase, Anne
8051a4aa-aee5-4926-8e8c-47f9a1455ade
Whay, Helen R
b0f26e55-8599-489e-afd4-70cdf2aaf163
Roe, Emma
f7579e4e-3721-4046-a2d4-d6395f61c675
Reyher, Kristen K.
de247d58-f579-4c6e-9c35-02dc594ca8e8

Bard, Alison, Main, David, Haase, Anne, Whay, Helen R, Roe, Emma and Reyher, Kristen K. (2017) The future of veterinary communication:: Partnership or persuasion? A qualitative investigation of veterinary communication in the pursuit of client behaviour change. PLoS ONE, 12 (3), [e0171380]. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171380).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Client behaviour change is at the heart of veterinary practice, where promoting animal health and welfare is often synonymous with engaging clients in animal management practices. In the medical realm, extensive research points to the link between practitioner communication and patient behavioural outcomes, suggesting that the veterinary industry could benefit from a deeper understanding of veterinarian communication and its effects on client motivation. Whilst extensive studies have quantified language components typical of the veterinary consultation, the literature is lacking in-depth qualitative analysis in this context. The objective of this study was to address this deficit, and offer new critical insight into veterinary communication strategies in the pursuit of client behaviour change. Role-play interactions (n = 15) between UK cattle veterinarians and an actress experienced in medical and veterinary education were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. Analysis revealed that, overall, veterinarians tend to communicate in a directive style (minimal eliciting of client opinion, dominating the consultation agenda, prioritising instrumental support), reflecting a paternalistic role in the consultation interaction. Given this finding, recommendations for progress in the veterinary industry are made; namely, the integration of evidence-based medical communication methodologies into clinical training. Use of these types of methodologies may facilitate the adoption of more mutualistic, relationship-centred communication in veterinary practice, supporting core psychological elements of client motivation and resultant behaviour change.

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Accepted/In Press date: 18 January 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 March 2017
Published date: 3 March 2017
Organisations: Economy, Governance & Culture

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 406148
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/406148
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: 9264a494-9473-4840-ac38-53aaa5cbc6c2
ORCID for Emma Roe: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4674-2133

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Date deposited: 10 Mar 2017 10:40
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:55

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Contributors

Author: Alison Bard
Author: David Main
Author: Anne Haase
Author: Helen R Whay
Author: Emma Roe ORCID iD
Author: Kristen K. Reyher

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