Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on November 24, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Letters FIRST-OPINION PRACTICE
Primary health care I WAS delighted to read the recent Viewpoint article by Stephen May on the need to develop a scholarship in primary health care (VR, June 27, 2015, vol 176, pp 677-681). I am sure many vets would strongly recognise the often uncelebrated skills that practitioners develop to manage the challenges faced within busy general practice; striving to find a balance between what is often a personal desire to achieve optimal patient care and diagnosis, with owner expectations and numerous factors meaning a compromise has to be made. The skill is to achieve client satisfaction – with all clients – in every clinical, financial and often emotional situation. May’s article, allied with the recent publication outlining the comorbidities frequently encountered in general practice (Robinson and others 2015), should, I would urge, drive increased recognition of the role of general practitioners and at the same time increase research with those directly working in this field. As the BSAVA’s public relations officer, I know that many of our members are, like me, involved in general practice, and it is with them in mind that the BSAVA seeks to fulfil its remit to promote excellence in small animal practice through education and science. I would like to draw attention to the resources available to the profession through BSAVA – beyond the manuals and congress that we all know and value. General practitioners seeking to increase their depth of knowledge and build the confidence they deserve to have in their skills can benefit from webinars, congress lecture recordings, client information sheets, and – something I am particularly keen to encourage – build relationships and gain knowledge at their regional meetings. So let us celebrate the virtues of general practice, unshackle those entering it from the risk of ‘paralysis by analysis’ and champion what is – and always will be – a challenging yet extremely rewarding element of the profession. Ross Allan, The Pets’n’Vets Family, 1478 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow G43 1RN e-mail: [email protected]
Reference
ROBINSON, N. J., BRENNAN, M. L., COBB, M. & DEAN, R. S. (2015) Capturing the complexity of first opinion small animal consultations using direct observation. Veterinary Record 176, 48
doi: 10.1136/vr.h3842 80 | Veterinary Record | July 18, 2015
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on November 24, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Primary health care Ross Allan Veterinary Record 2015 177: 80
doi: 10.1136/vr.h3842 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/177/3/80.2
These include:
References Email alerting service
This article cites 1 articles, 1 of which you can access for free at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/177/3/80.2#BIBL Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
Letters FIRST-OPINION PRACTICE
Primary health care I WAS delighted to read the recent Viewpoint article by Stephen May on the need to develop a scholarship in primary health care (VR, June 27, 2015, vol 176, pp 677-681). I am sure many vets would strongly recognise the often uncelebrated skills that practitioners develop to manage the challenges faced within busy general practice; striving to find a balance between what is often a personal desire to achieve optimal patient care and diagnosis, with owner expectations and numerous factors meaning a compromise has to be made. The skill is to achieve client satisfaction – with all clients – in every clinical, financial and often emotional situation. May’s article, allied with the recent publication outlining the comorbidities frequently encountered in general practice (Robinson and others 2015), should, I would urge, drive increased recognition of the role of general practitioners and at the same time increase research with those directly working in this field. As the BSAVA’s public relations officer, I know that many of our members are, like me, involved in general practice, and it is with them in mind that the BSAVA seeks to fulfil its remit to promote excellence in small animal practice through education and science. I would like to draw attention to the resources available to the profession through BSAVA – beyond the manuals and congress that we all know and value. General practitioners seeking to increase their depth of knowledge and build the confidence they deserve to have in their skills can benefit from webinars, congress lecture recordings, client information sheets, and – something I am particularly keen to encourage – build relationships and gain knowledge at their regional meetings. So let us celebrate the virtues of general practice, unshackle those entering it from the risk of ‘paralysis by analysis’ and champion what is – and always will be – a challenging yet extremely rewarding element of the profession. Ross Allan, The Pets’n’Vets Family, 1478 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow G43 1RN e-mail: [email protected]
Reference
ROBINSON, N. J., BRENNAN, M. L., COBB, M. & DEAN, R. S. (2015) Capturing the complexity of first opinion small animal consultations using direct observation. Veterinary Record 176, 48
doi: 10.1136/vr.h3842 80 | Veterinary Record | July 18, 2015
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on November 24, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Primary health care Ross Allan Veterinary Record 2015 177: 80
doi: 10.1136/vr.h3842 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/177/3/80.2
These include:
References Email alerting service
This article cites 1 articles, 1 of which you can access for free at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/177/3/80.2#BIBL Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
