Several years ago, I took my Papillon, Chloe, to a veterinary dentist for removal of an oral tumor and any necessary dental care. In addition to reviewing details of the surgical procedure, he showed digital radiographs to explain which teeth needed to be removed. The dentist\u2019s combination of auditory and visual client education built trust and reassured me that I was providing the best care for Chloe.<\/p>\n
Consider how well your team educates clients. Does everyone understand the most common learning styles? Moreover, do they know how to tailor exam room communications so that clients can make better health care decisions?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s explore how higher levels of compliance can result if you understand different learning preferences and know practical ways to improve exam room client education.<\/p>\n
Much has been written about learning styles and the need to adapt teaching to help students learn and retain information. Three of the most common styles discussed are based on main sensory receivers: visual, auditory and kinesthetic (VAK). You may have seen a pie chart showing that 65 percent of the population are visual learners, 30 percent are auditory learners and 5 percent are kinesthetic learners. As a result, educators and the general public alike believe that people learn best when taught according to one identified learning style. But does scientific evidence support this premise?<\/p>\n
Daniel Willingham, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, says \u201cno.\u201d He and other researchers are striving to dispel the myth that people have a specific learning style and that teaching should be tailored to a person\u2019s individual learning style. He says that rather than formatting lessons differently for auditory, kinetic or visual learners, teachers should tweak their instruction based on content. Willingham and other neuropsychology researchers advocate that people have different learning abilities and preferences. Collectively, many researchers today promote the idea of using a combination of education methods to maximize learning.<\/p>\n
This is encouraging information for veterinary practice teams. Why? Because it\u2019s not realistic for the average team to ask all pet owners their preferred learning style or accurately evaluate the style during a 20- to 30-minute appointment. Furthermore, expecting each team member to then educate clients according to their learning style is unrealistic. A more reasonable goal is to use multiple communication types and educational tools to enhance the overall learning experience for all clients.<\/p>\n
Many veterinary professionals like to say, \u201cAn educated client is a compliant client.\u201d The truth of this statement lies in the fact that people are more likely to agree to treatment recommendations once they fully appreciate the need for a service and fully understand the value of the service. Therefore, it is imperative that practices implement a comprehensive, team-based system to deliver the best client education.<\/p>\n
Since the best client education system is one that accommodates different learning preferences and is engaging for the pet owner, start by making sure your team understands common ways that people like to learn. Then commit to specific action steps to improve client education.<\/p>\n
People with an auditory preference learn best by listening to information. Don\u2019t assume that just because you talk to every client that you\u2019ve achieved the best learning environment for the pet owner. Auditory learners like discussion and may find it helpful to repeat what they\u2019ve heard.<\/p>\n
To improve client education among auditory learners:<\/p>\n
You may have heard the phrase \u201cA picture paints a thousand words.\u201d The expression means pictures often convey information more effectively than words alone. Visual learners like to see pictures, graphs and charts to better understand and retain information. People who learn predominantly with their eyes are more sensitive to the educator\u2019s nonverbal communication. This means your body language needs to be positive and match the verbal messages.<\/p>\n
A variety of visual tools used in veterinary medicine can help clients better understand medical conditions and treatment recommendations. Use a visual aid \u2014 chart, graph, diagram, picture, brochure or video \u2014 during every appointment to augment auditory messages. Go through your hospital\u2019s drawers and files to gather all your client education tools. Decide which ones are current, relevant and aligned with your medical standards. Then start using them.<\/p>\n
Here are other steps to improve client education for visual learners:<\/p>\n
Kinesthetic learners prefer a hands-on approach. They like to be involved with physical movement or want to touch and feel an object.<\/p>\n
Here are ideas for modifying client education with kinesthetic learners:<\/p>\n
In my experience, most practice teams think they do a good job with client education \u2014 and they do \u2014 but they rely mostly on verbal messages and the passive handing out of brochures. Teams that consistently combine verbal communication, educational tools and technology to help clients understand and retain information will attain higher compliance rates.<\/p>\n
Here is my challenge for your hospital: Implement a plan to accommodate multiple learning preferences during exam room communications so your team can help clients make decisions that are right for their family and that get pets the care they deserve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Accommodating a client\u2019s preferred learning style can lead to a more educated pet owner and better compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":1608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[341],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-december-2017-january-2018","column-talk-the-talk","clinical_topics-client-communication"],"acf":{"hide_sidebar":false,"hide_sidebar_ad":false,"hide_all_ads":false},"yoast_head":"\n