Hospital workflows are an incredible set of resources that enable the production of the desired outcome. This could be human resources, equipment, medication, as well as inputs of data that allow patients to have a fear-free visit to the veterinary clinic.
There are however many challenges that veterinary practices face every single day.
Some, but not all of these include:
Have you ever been sitting at your desk, writing up a hardcopy client form wishing that there was a more effective way to obtain this data within your veterinary system? Well, many veterinarians and nurses understand the time constraints that present themselves when it comes to inputting information into the system, especially now that clinics are severely understaffed and time poor. Hospital workflows create continuity in care, developing standardized practices that produce the same outcome. Hence, tasks will be done in accordance with the standard operating procedures. Having these procedures set in place, allows everyone in the clinic to know what their role is and how they can work together as a team.
How Easy can Workflows be Accessed?
These hospital workflows can be used and run from any device, they can also be run directly from your practice management system. This ultimately saves not only the client’s time but the vet’s time from unnecessary paperwork that can simply be digitized, it also minimizes the environmental toll on our planet. Clinics will be able to access charts at any time. An entirely web-based workflow allows for new information that has been inputted to immediately sync with your practice management system in real-time. Hence, vets and nurses are able to remain attentive, clearing all tasks with the help of alerts that notify clinics of new information when it’s been gathered.
Integration with Existing Practice Management Systems
The ability to autofill information regarding clients and their pets greatly saves time and the annoyance of having to manually refill information every time they visit the vet. Some examples of previously hard copy materials that were able to be digitized include digital practice forms, GA (general anesthetic), hospital charts, discharge instructions, home care videos, electronic prescriptions, and health programs. With ease, clients can access the aforementioned resources related to their pets. This availability also prevents unnecessary calls to the vet as the required information is directly provided, and is accessible anytime of the day. This integration allows for alerts of completed forms to be delivered in real-time. Forms can be automatically saved, ensuring that no information is lost and that the charts are all recorded. This allows veterinarians to easily recall consent forms, charts, and prescriptions, all with real-time updates, minimizing unwanted delays of information.
Have you ever been working in a veterinary hospital and the following occurs?
These problems affect not only veterinarians and nurses but also impacts the treatment of patients. Hospitalization workflows provide easy-to-use templates which allow for hospital treatment charts to be created. Daily tasks can also be set up, as well as customized medications calculated in accordance with the patient’s weight.
When patients require diagnostic tests such as radiography or other scans, a diagnostic hospital workflow ensures that all steps from the beginning of the scan to the creation of medical images are streamlined. Thus, errors regarding diagnostics are minimized as the workflow acts as a standard on which to base the treatment. A digital laboratory and diagnostic workflow gives transparency to the whole vet team. Know exactly what lab samples or radiographs are required for the day and know exactly where each of the cases are on the workflow. Never leave an unprocessed lab sample in the fridge again!
The workflows of lab samples allow for efficient and timely notification of results being sent to clients. This timeline occurs from:
: collection time -> processed time -> results in -> client notified -> client invoiced.
Various substances such as urine, feces, or blood samples can be managed and tracked through the workflow from the moment of collection up to sending out the invoice to the client. Hence, vets are able to order diagnostics and place them onto the workflow based on the timeline.
Physiotherapy can also be adapted to a hospital workflow where this sets the scene for all other types of therapy. These could include hydrotherapy, laser therapy, acupuncture, and more. This confirms that all therapeutic practice tasks of the patient are conducted correctly and that all team members are aware of what is bound to happen. Keep your reception team across each case with time stamps and easily trackable workflows.
For patients that require specialty consultations such as ultrasonography, ECG, these can also be inputted into a hospital workflow. Once again, this promotes a collective knowledge of the next steps of treatment for the patient, ensuring that they receive the best care possible.
The time when each event occurred both pre-and post-surgery can be inputted into different charts. The timeline of patients undergoing surgery is as follows:
premed time -> Sx start time -> Sx end time -> catheter in/out -> ready to go home.
This ensures that all vets and nurses are on the same page as to what is happening and the subsequent tasks that need to occur. Hence, surgical cases can be easily triaged and allocated to different team members. General anaesthesia (GA) charts can also be prepared for each surgical case the day before to ensure a smooth surgery for the next day. Using these charts, the patient can be easily tracked from the moment of admission to discharge. This allows for the best possible practice of GA monitoring.
Dental charts show the dental cases of each patient. This is the gold standard in recording dental cases. This chart obtains the function of adding before and after images, radiographs, and documentation of each tooth, allowing all team members to have a better understanding.
These meticulously designed workflows, tailored to each client's distinct preferences provide an exceedingly effective means of closely monitoring and overseeing grooming procedures. By adhering to crafted protocols, we ensure a grooming experience that aligns seamlessly with the client's desires, thus significantly mitigating the potential for any dissatisfactions to arise.
The workflow of grooming consists of:
: sedation (yes or no) -> bath/blow dry -> clip + photos -> additional services -> time completed -> discharge booked.
The ease of this workflow prevents verbal handover to your team as well as the possibility of forgetting additional tasks such as vaccinations. This enables veterinary clinics to run more efficiently due to the dedicated grooming workflow. In each grooming area of hospitals, the grooming workflow displays can be set up, enabling all team members to be on the same page regarding sedation, grooming, additional services, and when the patient is ready to go home.
Following a surgical procedure, patients are required to undergo further treatments to ensure a speedy and successful recovery. Post-operative hospital workflow allows for notes to be added regarding how the patient is progressing, whether new medications should be administered, and when they are able to be discharged. Ultimately, this allows all team members in the clinic to be on the same page. Reception teams not longer have to find the vet or nurse in charge to get an update.
The implementation of boarding workflows serves as an invaluable tool for the streamlined management of patient boarding processes. By meticulously structuring these workflows, we are able to not only facilitate a seamless and efficient boarding experience but also guarantee that every patient under our care receives the utmost attention and an experience that surpasses their expectations.
The boarding workflow consists of:
: checked in -> track daily tasks -> medications -> additional services -> bathing.
This workflow display allows for daily tasks, medications, and additional services to be easily regulated as well for new patients that are boarding and to-go-home baths being prepared prior to the patient being picked up. The patients that are currently boarding can be easily viewed in one place, ensuring that each patient is attended to at least twice every day.
Key Takeaways
These various types of workflows ultimately enable veterinary practices to have an increased rate of efficiency, enabling more time to be spent on patients and for effective communication between team members at veterinary practices to be established. The veterinary software company, VetCheck, provides all of these 10 different hospital workflows. VetCheck provides veterinary clinics with various digitized avenues to increase productivity, facilitating the clinic to not only run smoother but also deliver the best care and treatment for patients. Overall, VetCheck’s hospital workflow benefits veterinary practices by streamlining tasks within the clinic via effective communication, preventing the need to constantly check in with team members as they are aware of what has been conducted previously as it is part of the workflow process. Additionally, these workflows give workers in the clinic more autonomy in their role as they know what to do and remove the need to be micromanaged, thus increasing job satisfaction. These workflows ultimately set the standard for the clinic to work to.