A Word from Dr. Huss
What is quality medicine?
What is quality medicine? That is the question posed in a recent editorial in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Practicing the best "quality of medicine" is the excuse used to justify excessive testing and diagnostics. While it is true there are rare conditions that otherwise would not be diagnosed if "shotgun diagnostics" where not performed. Doing all of the tests, then wading through the results will lead to excessive use of resources and excessive medical bills.
It takes a more knowledgable doctor to develop a diagnostic plan to get to the answer of a patient's medical problem. While in a life and death situation, it is still necessary to get as much information as quickly as possible; most of the time it is possible to take a logical step-wise approach to medicine. The doctor's at Vetcision are trained in this detective method of medicine.
Likewise, when it comes to treatment options, we use the "not too much, not too little, just the right amount approach." Each patient's treatment plan is developed based upon their individual requirements. A fracture in an immature dog may be able to be treated with a splint, while a fracture in an 18 year old cat will likely require internal fixation with a plate and screws.
Questions To Ask The Doctor:
- What is your list of possible diagnosis for my pet?
- What is the testing plan to get a diagnosis?
- What are the potential complications of doing the tests?
- What are the possible outcomes if we don't do any tests?
- What are the treatment options?
- What is the prognosis?
- What is the success of treating this condition?
- Are there other hospitals better at treating this condition?
