Itch to Insight: 3 Communication Upgrades for Better Dermatology Outcomes

Sponsored by Dechra

Client compliance can often be the missing ingredient in successful dermatology outcomes. Julia E. Miller, DVM, DACVD, breaks down 3 actionable ways to boost owner adherence and improve patient skin health. From cultivating a "safe space" exam room to curated educational materials, learn how to turn frustrated clients into dedicated partners in the diagnostic process.

Below is a partial transcript:

Julia E. Miller, DVM, DACVD: My name is Dr Julia Miller, and I'm a Board Certified Veterinary Dermatologist. I want to share with you 3 tips for how to improve your client compliance and get the best success in your derm cases.

Number one, I keep my exam room an open, honest, and judgment-free zone, and I meet my clients where they are. If they can't bathe that 150-lb wiggly Rottweiler twice a week, I totally understand, and we can come up with a treatment plan that works for both the patient and the client.

The second thing is, I love an educated client, and we don't often have enough time in the exam room to say everything we want to say. It's a great opportunity to send home handouts, perhaps written discharges, or have a list of approved online resources that you would like for your client to know about. An educated client is much more likely to be compliant.

The third thing is, what are we doing for rechecks? It's fantastic if you can get those in person rechecks, we love those, but sometimes things fall through the cracks. If that's the case, do you have a system in place, be it a phone call, a text, an email, whatever works for your clinic and your clients to find out what's going on. Let's get those follow ups so that we can make any changes or adjustments if we need to.