What’s the most difficult conversation you ever had with a client, and how was it resolved?

• In-The-Trenches.pdf (101.7 KB)

EVT asked 3 veterinarians about their toughest conversations with clients, and how they dealt with these difficult situations.

Beth Davidow, DVM, DACVECC
Animal Critical Care & Emergency Services, Seattle, Washington

A 7-year-old spayed Labrador retriever presented for vomiting twice. Radiographs were taken and showed a probable splenic tumor. I always update owners as we go and started with “There is no good way to say this…I found something I wasn’t expecting” (showing the x-rays). “I’m worried about what we found, and we should do an ultrasound next.” The ultrasound revealed not only a tumor in the spleen but also tumors throughout the liver: metastatic cancer. I had to tell the owner that this previously healthy animal was going to die in less than 6 weeks. I began by saying, “Unfortunately, it is cancer and it has spread – I’m so sorry. Because of the type, I suspect surgery is not an option. I can give you some time, and then we can decide what our options are.” It also helps recipients to know about any recent medical literature on the subject.

Louis-Philippe de Lorimier, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)
Hôpital Vétérinaire Rive-Sud, Brossard, Canada

At a previous hospital, an employee gave a chemotherapy dose to the wrong animal, and I had to tell the owners about what could have been a fatal mistake (but fortunately was not). I explained 1) exactly what had happened, 2) that we would do everything we could to prevent and treat the complications and cover the cost, and 3) that it was the 1st time this error had occurred, and how we were going to ensure it never happened again. An interesting fact is that the mistake was made on one of the slowest days we’d had that year—proving mistakes occur when you least expect them. You never know when you might have a difficult conversation with a client, but there are professional ways to deal with it and important changes you and your team can make to prevent the need for such conversations as much as possible.

Steve Amsberry, DVM
West Hills Veterinary Hospital,
Corvallis, Oregon

One client needed a tremendous amount of time to have things explained to her. She wrote everything down in her notebook, required copies of all lab work, etc. My staff was becoming resentful. Finally I took a step back and asked, “Okay, what’s the client’s need here?” So I sat down with her on her very next visit to talk it out. In that conversation, the owner and I decided she would determine the amount of time she needed and relay that time when scheduling her appointments. We were both very happy to clarify everything, especially as more people are interested in the highest possible value during a tough economy. The good news is that we ended up with a “win–win” resolution! By the way, I encourage people to read Crucial Conservations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. It’s a great book!

Read a review of the book Crucial Conversations!