Caring for Patients

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Caring for Patients

• 4-H Veterinary Science
• Extension Veterinary Medicine 
• Texas AgriLife Extension Service
• College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical
  Science
• Texas AM System
• http//aevm.tamu.edu

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Objectives

• Discuss the importance of patient care
• Describe techniques for caring for various types
  of animals
• Describe basic necessities required for patient
  care
• Discuss the laws regarding patient care

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Introduction

• Animals entering a hospital can exhibit
• Fear
• Over excitement
• Anxiety
• Defensiveness

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• 3 Systems
• Clinical services
• Clinical services support
• Ancillary services

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Clinical Services

• Fundamental skills and services inherent to the
  treatment, support and care of a hospitalized
  patient

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Community Practice and General Medicine
Specialties

• Internal medicine
• Dermatology
• Orthopedics
• Gastroenterology
• General surgery
• Soft Tissue surgery
• Neurology or neurology surgery

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• First assessment of the patients problem
• Physical exam
• Blood, fecal and urinary exam
• Provide the diagnosis
• Results from exams
• Prescribe the treatment
• Medicine
• Surgery
• Supportive care

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Clinical Services Support

• Diagnostic testing and patient treatment or
  nursing

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• Support for in-patient admissions
• Diagnostic and patient treatment
• Nursing care
• Support specialties
• Anesthesiology
• Radiology
• Nuclear medicine
• Clinical pathology
• Intensive care unit

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Ancillary Services

• Operational support for clinical services and
  clinical service support

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• Provide operational support to the entire
  hospital system
• Physical facilities
• Individual equipment
• Direct vs. indirect
• Direct sterile supply supports surgery
• Indirect laundry indirectly supports all units,
  including surgery

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Staff

• Technical staff
• Proficiency in a skill and technique
• Detail oriented in examining
• Animals comfort
• Physical condition
• Behavior
• Make knowledgeable judgments

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• Hospital staff provide
• Health care
• Enhancement in quality of life
• Caring
• Comfort

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Quality of Life Enhancement

• Hospitalization and medical care
• Professional diagnosis
• Quality of life enhancements
• Medical care received during illness
• Individual attention

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• Highly variable
• Simple
• Temperature of hospital
• Bedding in cage
• Complex
• Pain management
• Euthanasia
• Cage environment

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• Physical variables
• Microenvironment (inside the cage)
• Provide bedding
• Clean up messes
• Macroenvironment (outside the cage)
• Adjustment of temperature
• Exercise the animal

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• Behavioral socialization requirements
• Long term planning
• Must be safe
• Protection from injury and infection
• Physical interaction between animals is preferred
• Group exercise
• Handling by care giver
• Group housing

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• Preferential handling is the safe method for
  socializing needs
• Personalized for each patient
• Exercise
• Care
• Establishes a relationship with handler
• Safety
• Protect from injury by other animals
• Protect from disease

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• Behavioral requirements
• Housing should suit animals
• Cats have tendencies to climb provide perch in
  cage
• Providing toys

NOT Ideal Housing
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Handling of Patient Animals

• Risk of injury to handler and animal
• Restraint
• Movement of animal
• Relocation
• Clinical procedures

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• Questions to ask when handling a patient
• What are the conditions of the scenario the
  handler is approaching?
• What is the intended outcome?
• What could change?
• What hurts?
• How could the animal react?

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• Know behavioral signs of all species
• Anger and aggression
• Warnings
• Submission
• Dominance
• Docile

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Dog Body Language
Defensive Threat
Dominant or Aggression/ Offensive Threat
Active Submission
Stressed
Passive Submissive
Playful
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Cat Body Language
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Cat Body Language
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Cat Body Language
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Horse Body Language
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• Tolerance limits must be identified
• Physically
• Behaviorally
• Physical Facilities must be identified
• Avenues for escape
• Obstruction to safe handling

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• Restraint must be applied ALL THE TIME
• Specific to animal species
• Limited to minimum to get job done
• Voice commands
• Not accepted as method of restraint
• Can be effective when applied

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• Purpose of restraint
• Restrict movement
• Avoid injury to patient and handler
• Administer treatment
• Obtain samples
• Control behavior
• Provide security not stress

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Summary

• Caring for patients requires
• Sensitivity
• Empathy
• Animals coming to the hospital are subject to
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Discomfort
• Patient care is to minimize stress, anxiety and
  discomfort