VN June 2020

Vetnews | June 2020 9 • Behavioural issues/training • Transportation issues • Basic triage (whether the pet should be seen by the veterinarian) • Environmental concerns/hazards that might contribute to a particular condition • Long-term care monitoring For these scenarios, telehealth tools provide sufficient information to assist pet owners without the necessity of a hands-on physical examination. Where the tools are insufficient a visit to the veterinarian is recommended. As to costing, they found the following effective: • No-charge first exam. This often leads to a visit to the practice by the client (informal reports show that people who connected through telehealth tend to visit the practice 50% more in person). • Additional feature of a pre-existing wellness package often included in the telehealth package. • Per usage charge, often by-the-minute charging. If a visit to the practice was required after tele-contact, the cost of the tele-contact was credited to the clients account and replaced with the cost of the physical consult. How do we take this forward? In my opinion, one of the positive outcomes of the COVID-19 lockdown should be a revision of current rules, allowing for more telehealth in those areas where it can be implemented in a responsible manner. The how and when, informed consent and liability should all be clarified. Veterinarians must embrace telehealth and be the leaders in the field and prevent others from taking this away from us. And, who knows, it might help us in our ongoing battle against Dr Google. v Leading Article Telehealth in Veterinary Practice <<< 08