Minor rant about the vet... grrrr...

Disclaimer: I like our vet and the most important thing is the care that my pets receive, not how much I like the staff or the paperwork side of things. But sometimes ya gotta let it out! 

Garfunkel is having urinary issues again. We were able to catch it pretty early and he got treated at the e-vet, and went to the regular vet today for a urinalysis. Of course he was empty, as always, so he's having to stay several hours until they can get a sample.

Now on the ranty part. I do a pretty good job of keeping things organized and since we moved I have had ALL the animals' records faxed over to the new vet. They were all seen for a checkup and vaccine update last month, so the previous urinary issues were reported on his history then. Also, when he saw the e-vet Saturday, I had them fax the stuff over, and then I called the e-vet he saw last year and had them fax THAT over, too! Just to make sure they had all the background info on how this issue has been handled so far.

When I brought him in today you would think he had never been seen before. The vet asst asked if there were other cats in the house (yeah, the two you have on file!), if he was indoor-only, if he was on flea treatment (yes, the stuff the doctor recommended that I bought from you a month ago!!!!), etc. She then asked how many litterboxes there were and some other things. She asked if he had ever had this issue before. Well, gee, I reported that on his history AND faxed over paperwork from an e-vet he saw for the exact same issue, so the answer to that would be yes, correct? Urgh! Then she asked what antibiotic he was taking. Now, maybe I should have brought the bottle to be safe, but I thought the point of faxing over the treatment record was so the vet would have an understanding of prior treatment, including any rx medication. So she had to go check.

Then the doctor came in. Unbelievably, he started asking the exact same questions! Other cats in the house? Indoor only? How many litterboxes? Has he had this problem before? OMG, seriously????????? Yes, he has had this problem before, I just told this to your asst 45 seconds ago, and you have paperwork showing how he was treated!!!!

I have never worked in a vet's office, but isn't there some kind of protocol for reviewing your patient's file first? Like, oh I see we have Garfunkel today, let's take a look at the history. And if the vet asst. is going to take 10 minutes to ask questions and write the answers down, why can't the doctor look that over before he comes in? Or do you somehow get better results by coming in with a blank piece of paper and starting from scratch?

I'm probably overreacting due to stress from Garfunkel's issue, as well as low sleep last night, but it really ticked me off today. GRRRR.  

Thanks for listening!   

Haven't you ever noticed they do the same thing at the Dr.'s office? They have you fill out a 3 page form with 5000 questions that takes forever, then the nurse comes in and asks the exact same questions! THEN the Dr. comes in and asks the same questions AGAIN!!!! It drives me crazy! Maybe we should ask for a copy of the questions and hand it to each as they walk in!

That's annoying!

Our vets have all the records on the computer monitor when you go into the treatment room. They ask about the reasons for the current visit, and update the records after the exam while you're right there to answer any additional questions they might have. That's one reason I keep going back to that office.

l'm glad you started this thread because l've noticed a difference in people's expectations of the vet since coming to this site.

l'm agreeing with @jcat  . Our vet has a computer in each room and when they come into the room, my file is already loaded (presumably by the tech?) and she recaps things to date, then we get into why l'm there, which gets added to the file as we talk.

Same at the doctor's office. We don't do any paperwork at all.

So yes, l would find that very frustrating and a huge waste of time.

jcat said:

Our vets have all the records on the computer monitor when you go into the treatment room. They ask about the reasons for the current visit, and update the records after the exam while you're right there to answer any additional questions they might have. That's one reason I keep going back to that office.

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Andrya said:

Our vet has a computer in each room and when they come into the room, my file is already loaded (presumably by the tech?) and she recaps things to date, then we get into why l'm there, which gets added to the file as we talk.

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This is exactly how it is at our regular vet, too. The lady we see (co-owner) is a bit high strung and she's very busy. I don't expect her to remember everything about my three cats when she sees lots (probably hundreds) of other animals. Sometimes I have to recap when she comes in the room (I'd rather talk to her directly, anyway) and she gets the three cats and their issues mixed up sometimes. So I like that everything is in the computer. I've gotten printouts of system notes, and they even log when I call and what I said and the person taking the notes initials it.

I tried out a vet last year that was recommended by a co-worker. They still did everything on paper and put it in actual file that got put in a slot on the wall. Among other reasons, I didn't return.

You'd be surprised how often the answers change.  Sometimes the same question asked a third time jogs the person's memory to add something to the original answer. 

I can understand the aggravation though.  But I'd rather answer the same question many times and get correct diagnoses/treatment.  Sometimes things happen in human healthcare despite the numerous questions!

The clinic I take mine to has everything on computer.  They aren't bad at all about the inane questions.  The vet that I had always at least acts like she remembers both of the kitties.  I think she probably at least glances at the record before she comes in the exam room.  She is leaving though, probably has already left, so I don't know what the new vet will be like.

Things change from what they have on file.  If a pet dies not everyone would think let me take that cat off my file.  Meds bought are not always used right away/on all the cats  Indoor only is a big thing as they need to know will the cat be getting the right diet if an RX is needed.  

I know it takes time but think of it as a safety net of preventing you from getting wrong medds/treatment.  Sorta like the people who go in for surgery and have wrong leg operated on!

Also anything that gets faxed over-get a copy at the Evet and confirm they got the right amount of pages.  I had an issue with Evet sending it over but my name was misspelled.  The local vet worker knew it was me as I am there so often but possible it could have ended in wrong file and it had my cats bloodwork and they needed it to compare to his last BW.  

catsallaround said:

Also anything that gets faxed over-get a copy at the Evet and confirm they got the right amount of pages.  I had an issue with Evet sending it over but my name was misspelled.  The local vet worker knew it was me as I am there so often but possible it could have ended in wrong file and it had my cats bloodwork and they needed it to compare to his last BW.  

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     ^  That's a really good point, especially for those of us who use different vets routinely.

@peaches08  @catsallaround  I understand, this makes sense. However, it would be nice if instead of me answering the same questions 3x, the file could be pulled and the dr. could say, "Two other cats in the house? Still indoor only?" etc. Doesn't seem like that much more work - in fact, seems like less work, as he would not have to write anything down unless it changed.

@GoHolistic  @jcat  @Denice  That computer system would be nice! My chiropractor has that, it's so neat to see her notes from my last visit while I'm waiting for her.

A nurse I know, the patient managed to get all the way into her OR before it was figured out that it was the wrong patient.  The patient just figured that the doctor knew best...although he'd never met that doctor before that day.  The inpatient floor missed it, the pre-op nurse missed it, the anesthesia group missed it, the doctor missed it, and the circulating nurse missed it.  They were just about to put him under anesthesia when something told them to check the armband again and they discovered they had the wrong patient.  This patient answered the same questions wrong at least 4 times just in the OR.  This is an extreme case but still.

The repeated questions drive me crazy, too! The other thing that bugs me are doctors and vets who have more than one appointment at a time and keep bouncing from room to room. My dentist does that and I want to smack him and yell, 'sit down!' sometimes. It feels like you do not have their full attention.

At one of the big, multi vet practices I used years ago, my dog had to stay overnight for observation. The vet who did the intake was not there the next day when I came back to pick up Maggie. It really, really annoyed me that the vet I saw the second day asked me all the same questions again. They were supposed to be giving me answers, not the other way around. They had my dog overnight, they were supposed to be observing her and they ask me her age, routine health questions, etc, again when I return to hear the diagnosis? Wth? I realize it was a vet fresh to the case, but it was not confidence inspiring, to say the least. That is the main reason I prefer a practice with only one or two vets. Our current, cats-only vet is wonderful. I love her. When we take one cat in, she asks about each of my other cats, by name. All it takes is 5 minutes prep work before entering the examination room and, honestly, I think it is simply good manners.

My husband needed surgery for a broken leg. The night before surgery, I noticed the word 'NO' written in Sharpie on the ankle of his good leg. :lol3:

The vet that I have had for a little over 3 years always asks about the other cat when I take a cat in.  I don't know how much she actually remembers and how much she gets off the record before she comes in the exam room.  I am pretty sure it's from the record but it is nice that she does that.

We have had the same vet hospital now since the early 1970s, so we and the furkids are very well known throughout the system. Doesn't matter which vet is on duty for our appointment, he or she knows us and knows the kids (unless it's somebody brand new, which is rare). But even so, sometimes, they'll pull a boner that just makes me shake my head.

A few years ago, my sister and I spent a weekend trying to catch a wee kitten that I saw out back one morning; some of you may remember this as I had posted about her. We finally managed to catch the little girl, called her Lily, and my sister took her home. I called our vet right away for an appt, but they couldn't fit Lily in that day, even though I did everything but beg. And despite everything we did for her, Lily died. She was very little and very young and we tried, we really did. My sister was a mess for quite a while and it wasn't until my BIL and I got Liam (a male kitten from a woman at work) for her that she calmed down.

Anyway, a couple months ago, the systems admin at the hospital called us. She wanted to say that certain cats were due for their check-ups and did we want to make appts for them, etc.  We went down through the list of cats that needed to be seen and then she asked, "And what about Lily? Lily has never been seen here! Do you still have her?" And that went through me like a knife. And that's when I let her have it. Told her that Lily had passed, that they knew Lily had passed because I called down and told them so when I cancelled the appt that I had to make because they couldn't see the poor kitten the day we were finally able to catch her and we couldn't get food into her. And then I was so upset that I hung up, called back down and told the head vet (who runs the hospital) exactly what I thought. He was horrified that she had even called us because we are so good about taking our kids for their check-ups and when I mentioned Lily, well by that time, I was in tears. He said he was going to talk to the systems admin, but if he did, we never knew. Although she has never called us again.

parsleysage said:

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I have never worked in a vet's office, but isn't there some kind of protocol for reviewing your patient's file first? Like, oh I see we have Garfunkel today, let's take a look at the history. And if the vet asst. is going to take 10 minutes to ask questions and write the answers down, why can't the doctor look that over before he comes in? Or do you somehow get better results by coming in with a blank piece of paper and starting from scratch?

I'm probably overreacting due to stress from Garfunkel's issue, as well as low sleep last night, but it really ticked me off today. GRRRR.

 

Thanks for listening! 

 

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Hi @parsleysage    My cat's vet clinic does have a protocol, but it actually sounds similar to what your clinic does.  When I first arrive, the vet tech or receptionist (not sure their title), registers the pet, then asks why the vet needs to see the animal.  She writes this down on a paper form,  puts it into"IN" box at back, then vet sees it.

Somehow, I think its not entered into the computer yet, because next, some other vet tech calls me into exam room.

Here the vet will ask me same questions, and more, all over again.  I do think it is because he writes down point form notes, does the exam, and then gives me his recommendations.  From there the exam part is over, and I go back out to settle the bill. 

Sometimes the vet will come out again, and just make sure I understand his instructions, but at times he is too busy with others, and I ask the receptionist (or vet tech) to go over it, again.  I usually have to write things down, so I don't forget what the vet said.  The next time I visit the clinic, he occasionally will ask about a previous situation, since he is reading it off the computer screen.  He just wants to update the computer file notes.

I think its like other members have posted, the repetitious questions are just to follow their own clinic's procedures, and catch things,  or "jog" a person's memory....so that when you do finally see the vet....you almost have a complete visual in your head.  You are very focused by this point.

I've been going to the same vet for over 20 years - not like Winchester - and they even recognise my voice on the phone.
The reason I'm coming is already in t computer. Questions concerning their pasts are not asked as they're already in the computer.
My ex had to have a hernia operation and was told to Mark it.

@parsleysage
I admire your fortitude. Had that been me I would not have kept my temper or my big mouth shut. Well done