Benefits of Vet E-Appointments For You and Your Pet
What is an e-appointment? Is an e-appointment the right fit for my pet? What kind of appointments can be e-appointments? E-appointments are becoming all the rage in both human and pet healthcare.
According to a survey conducted by Banfield Pet Hospital, 84 percent of pet owners feel more attuned to their pet’s health after spending more time at home due to the various stay-at-home orders. With being more attuned to their pet’s health comes the increase of both preventative and reactive care.
Veterinarian e-appointments, also known as telehealth appointments, are an important way to still provide veterinarian care for your beloved pets during this time of social distancing.
Definitions
E-appointments: Appointments that use telehealth services.
Telehealth: The provision of healthcare remotely by means of telecommunications technology.
Telemedicine: A subcategory of telehealth that is a tool, or use of a tool, to augment the practice of veterinary medicine.
Teleconsulting: A subcategory of telehealth that occurs when a general practice veterinarian uses telehealth tools to communicate with a veterinary specialist to gain insights and advice on the care of a patient.
Benefits of Vet E-Appointments and Telehealth
E-appointments bring the ability to provide care directly into pet owners’ homes while maintaining physical distance in a time where that is necessary. Telehealth practices save time, protects vet offices from over-crowding, and can occasionally even save money for both the pet owners and veterinarians. Unfortunately, not all appointments can be done through telehealth, but it is becoming increasingly popular and available.
Different Types of Vet E-Appointments
Basic Triage
This is the most common e-appointment. Basic Triage is trying to determine whether the pet needs to see a veterinarian in-office or not.
Postoperative Follow-up
This is a common way for veterinarians to assess the healing of pets after an operational procedure. Through pictures and/or videos, veterinarians can often get a decent understanding of the progress.
Behavioral Issues and Training
When pets are having behavioral or training issues, oftentimes the veterinarian or a vet technician can assess the situation and prescribe the next steps through telehealth practices.
Long-Term Care Monitoring
Often found in senior pets or postoperative situations, the use of telehealth in long-term care monitoring is beneficial to both the pet owner and the veterinarian.
Technologies That Offer Vet E-Appointments
With a focus on ease, accessibility, and responsiveness, Televet is a veterinarian telehealth solution that partners with clinics to bring the app to the pet owners.
WhiskerDocs connects pet owners directly with veterinarians through talk, text, and message. They also work to connect pet owners with other pet owners.
PetDesk is a software system that connects through your veterinarian practice, aiming to streamline communication between vets and pet owners.
Honorable mentions that offer vet e-appointments or assist in the ease of e-appointments are PetPro Connect, TeleTails, and IVEE. There are many players in the field of veterinarian telehealth and e-appointments. And with the field growing quickly, more offices and companies are offering the capabilities.
Telehealth can include anything from veterinarians texting a pet owner about their pet’s health, to have a device that tracks the pet’s well-being, and everything in between.
Are E-Appointments Right For You?
E-Appointments save time, resources, and allow for social distancing measures to stay in place. Generally, if your pet doesn’t need shots, surgery, or something hands-on, e-appointments via telehealth practices are a great fit for you and your pet.
The study completed by Banfield Pet Hospital found around 20 percent of pet owners are committed to taking their pets to the veterinarian for preventive care check-ups more often than before the stay-at-home orders, and 41 percent contacted their veterinarian during stay-at-home orders, whether in person, via phone or through telehealth services.
With more people than ever staying at home with their pets, this is a great time to try out telehealth services. Reach out to your vet to learn more about your options and ask what services they are offering via telehealth practices.IVEE
