QUALITY PRACTICE
COLLEGIALITY
WORKING TOGETHER TO COORDINATE CARE
As part of the College ’ s work on its strategic objective to promote professionalism , collegiality , as it relates to the interaction between colleagues in different practices , was identified as a topic to explore .
Why ? Because it is a fairly common concern that gets raised to the College ’ s attention . The lack of collegiality , that is . A literature search on collegiality revealed that little study has been done in the medical or veterinary field .
Searching the literature using the term , “ relational coordination ” revealed a small amount of research in the human healthcare field ; however , it tended to focus on the interplay between the physician and their support staff working within the same environment and how that impacts patient outcomes . 1 , 2 , 3 Where collegiality has received some research attention is among academicians and librarians . 4 , 5
Common scenarios in veterinary practice are related to client retention and the perception that another practice is “ stealing clients ”. Concerns arise about soliciting clients , advertising infractions , and transferring medical records . For example , a client chooses to seek care with another veterinarian . Medical information needs to be transferred to coordinate care . There is a lack of response to the request for the transfer and a vicious cycle ensues . Unfortunately , this situation can lead to frustration and the obstruction to care often gets interpreted by the new veterinarian as the previous veterinarian having a bad attitude or a passive-aggressive reaction to losing a client . As professionals , both veterinarians need to focus on the duty of care to the patient and respecting the client ’ s autonomy to choose where they seek veterinary care for their animal .
The veterinary profession can all agree that it is unprofessional to not respond promptly to another veterinarian ’ s request for medical information when they are treating an animal . This is clearly stated in Ontario Regulation
1093 and the Professional Practice Standards related to medical records . The responsibility to the patient is paramount and a veterinarian must act in the best interests of the patient . In all cases , previous medical history is needed to provide optimal care and avoid unnecessary delays in care or repeating tests that may have already been performed . For all involved , it is best to avoid this potentially precarious and uncomfortable situation .
This duty to coordinate care protects animals and the reputation of the profession and prevents these delays from happening . Clients have also contacted the College with concerns related to delays in transferring their animal ’ s records . When veterinarians work together , it supports a client ’ s choice of veterinary care for their animal and facilitates access to that care .
The profession must continue to uphold the public ’ s trust that veterinarians are cooperating to protect animal health and serve clients fairly .
Rather than jumping to the assumption that the veterinarian ’ s attitude is to blame , consider first that there may be something at the system level that needs to be addressed . Perhaps there is a system flaw that is creating the delay to the prompt transfer of the information . Is there a practice policy that is creating barriers to the timely transfer of medical history ? Do staff receive proper training on how to manage these requests appropriately ? It may not be the veterinarian ’ s intention to delay the transfer , but rather a system flaw that obstructs the flow of information in a timely manner . Reviewing the regulations and standards can assist veterinarians with updating or creating their practice policies related to responding to requests for medical information that ensures compliance with legal obligations .
Veterinarians must balance professionalism with working in a competitive market where neighbouring practices compete for business . The public expects veterinarians to adhere to standards of professionalism that ensure the dignity and integrity of the profession are upheld . The College is aware of situations of neighbouring practices who foster very collegial relationships with one another and applauds those practices for this demonstration of professionalism . It is possible to support your colleagues in a neighbouring practice , serve your community well , and have a successful business . Let communication and mutual respect prevail . Demonstrating professionalism will not only help you retain clients ; it will also help you relate to your colleagues where there is a shared goal of optimizing patient care and supporting animal health and welfare in the communities you serve . Demonstrating professionalism supports clients in their decisions about their animals and it will help you relate to your colleagues where there is a shared goal of optimizing patient care and supporting animal health and welfare in the communities you serve .
References :
1 . Gittell , JH . ( 2006 ). Relational coordination : Coordinating work through relationships of shared goals , shared knowledge and mutual respect . Relational Perspectives in Organizational Studies : A Research Companion . 74-94 .
2 . Chesluk BJ , Holmboe ES . ( 2010 ). How teams work--or don ’ t--in primary care : a field study on internal medicine practices . Health affairs ( Project Hope ), 29 ( 5 ): 874-9 .
3 . Havens DS , Vasey J , Gittell JH , Lin WT . ( 2010 ). Relational coordination among nurses and other providers : impact on the quality of patient care . Journal of Nursing Management , 18 ( 8 ): 926-937 .
4 . Freedman , Shin . ( 2009 ). Collegiality Matters : How Do We Work With Others ?. Proceedings of the Charleston Library Conference .
5 . Fischer , Michael . ( 2009 ) Defending Collegiality , Change : The Magazine of Higher Learning , 41 ( 3 ): 20-25 .
4 College Connection Winter 2020 cvo . org