Criticalists On-Call: Lower Stress and Better Medicine

The veterinary medicine landscape is changing. Limited Specialist availabilities, long wait times and client imposed financial limitations are all daily aspects of practice. Telehealth is the umbrella term encompassing  the use of technology to share health-related information or deliver health care remotely.  Telemedicine, the delivery of doctor to client communication, is being incorporated into many veterinary practices, thereby allowing veterinarians to maximize efficiency, monetize their electronic or telephone consultations and improve the client experience.  Telemedicine requires a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) in most of the United States.  In contrast, teleconsultation is doctor to doctor consultation that occurs when the primary care veterinarian with a VCPR, seeks counsel from veterinary Specialists or other consultants, remotely.  

Teleconsultation has historically been utilized for Radiology consultations, however, other specialities lend themselves nicely to working well in a teleconsultation platform.  Internal medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Dermatology, Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology and even Surgery are all Specialties that are able to be incorporated remotely into patient care.  By incorporating Specialists into daily care of sick patients, an elevated level of care and Specialty guidance guide the best diagnostic and treatment recommendations.  For primary care veterinarians, in regions where referral to a Specialist is not feasible geographically or financially, this remote Specialty care can be life saving.  

For unstable, emergent or complex cases, having a Specialist available on-demand is a luxury that many veterinarians aren’t even aware exists. Criticalists or Diplomates of the American or European College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care are well versed in emergency medicine topics, toxicities, envenomation, metabolic and endocrine diseases, cardiopulmonary disorders, infectious diseases and transfusion medicine, among others. 

For busy practioners, rather than trying to read up on complex cases during a busy day, consulting with Criticalists immediately by phone for guidance and advice, eases a large portion of the stress that these complex or critical cases place on the team.  Whether it’s a severe unstable polytrauma, an unstable patient with immune mediated disease, an endocrine emergency, toxicity or envenomation, Criticalists are available to guide diagnostic and treatment decisions.  The consult is often useful in determining short and long term prognosis, anticipated hospitalization and answering client communication concerns as well. For some of these patients, management in a 24/7 referral or emergency hospital is ultimately recommended and having the Specialty consultation to back this recommendation can be helpful to the primary care veterinarian in achieving client compliance.

DVM STAT Consulting has both an immediate telephone consult option as well as the ability to submit a consult through a secure portal.  With 24/7 availability of Specialists, no veterinarian is without access to Board Certified Specialists.  Our Specialists in Emergency & Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Neurology, Anesthesiology and Radiology work cohesively to ensure that patients receive comprehensive Specialty care.