Veterinary nurses creating a unique approach to patient care: part two
Abstract
Planning patient care is an integral part of veterinary nursing practice. Part one of this article outlined how the
The observed positive outcomes included perceived increased recognition and enhancement of the unique role of the veterinary nurse and improved individualised and patient-specifc care through use of the client questionnaire. The predominant negative outcome was the length of time taken to complete the planning of patient care. While this may decrease if use of the model was routinely adopted by practising veterinary nurses, it is proposed by the authors that signifcant local adaptations of the model are required to ensure that this adoption occurs.
Planning patient care is an integral part of veterinary nursing practice. Part one of this article introduced how the Orpet and Jefery Ability Model (OJAM) (2007) can be used to facilitate a nursing-focussed approach to this planning and care, encouraging veterinary nurses (VNs) to take a holistic view of their patients. During this second part, the themes arising from using this particular framework will be examined, followed by a conclusion of recommendations for future practice.
While published reflections on the design and implementation of care plans based on the OJAM (2007) almost uniformly identify the advantages of utilising this framework for planning patient care, they have all also raised common difficulties in integrating such an approach within veterinary practice (Lock, 2011; Wager, 2011; Brown, 2012). The aim of this article is to explore these outcomes further by utilising the experiences of 56 registered VNs (RVNs) in practice during their implementation of a framework for planning patient care as part of a learning activity in a continuing education course. It is proposed that by doing so it may be possible to further establish the positive effects of utilising the OJAM (2007) and to discover what solutions, if any, have been found to the challenge of incorporating the use of this model into the demands of daily life in veterinary practice.
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