GLOSSARY3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .. 4
INTRODUCTION ..5
Purpose of the Study 5
Scope of the Study.5
UPGRADING OF PET CLINIC 6
Improvement on Ambience....6
Information Management..6
Improving Comfort7
Equipment upgrade.7
Internet connectivity8
Additional Services..9
Information for Pet Owners..10
Sponsorship of Community Activity10
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .11
REFERENCES 13
LIST OF FIGURES 14
GLOSSARY
Ambience this refers to the atmosphere or feel of the environment of a place
Information technology this is the use of electronic gadgets such as computers to record, receive, store, retrieve as well as process information
Pet clinic these are facilities that provide pet owners with health services of their pets and treatment of diseases.
Pet diseases these ailments that affect pets
Profitability this is the realization of value for investment in a business
Upgrade these are activities aimed at improving a service or a product
Acupuncture Alternative medicine practice for treating pain and joint complications
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pet clinics are essential facilities which offer critical preventive, curative and rehabilitative care for pets. Pet owners seek pet clinic which provide holistic care for animals, incorporating modern methods of treatment, with qualified vets and caregivers. A good pet clinic should have a comfortable environment and excellent ambiance, modern treatment and diagnostic equipment, qualified personnel, and other incentives for pet owners.
Valley Road Pet Clinic is conveniently located in a busy up-market neighborhood where home owners have many kinds of pet; this makes it a prime destination for pet owners. The facility is fairly well-equipped and has qualified staff. However, the buildings are a bit old and run down, modern diagnostic equipment has not been installed and the ambience of the place could do with a bit of improvement. The rooms where the patients are attended to should also be a bit more comfortable. The clinic has also stuck to common veterinary services hence the need to include other services for diversity and for clients to have a one stop shop for all their pet care needs. Valley Road Pet Clinic requires environmental, technological and service upgrade. This report looks at the various areas of Valley Road Pet Clinic that need an upgrade, the benefits of upgrading, and offers recommendations on upgrading.
INTRODUCTION
Purpose of the Study
In a competitive global marketplace, the veterinary service sector has also been affected, and new trends in pet care have necessitated new conditions for the management of vet clinics to embrace modernity in order to increase performance and profitability. The upgrade of the pet clinic will improve the overall efficiency as well as the profitability of the vet business. The recommended areas for improvement include improvement on ambience, information management, comfort of patients, equipment upgrade, internet connectivity, offering additional services, supplying pet owners with information on pet care and sponsorship of community activity.
Scope of the Study
The report seeks to investigate the current state of the facility, human resource available, quality and types of services offered, and efficiency of services. The report will then cite areas recommended for improvement, highlighting the significance of proposed upgrade. The report will then offer recommendations on an entire upgrade of the clinic to suit clients’ needs and improve efficiency and profitability.
UPGRADING OF THE PET CLINIC
Improvement on Ambience
A tour of the pet clinic revealed that the clinic has invested a lot in the holding area or the clinic. The kennels, pens, bird cages and swimming bowls area all modern and reflective of a good clinic environment. However, the examination beds require some upgrade. The beds in the examination rooms need additional soft bedding, preferably fur and feathery material which will provide warmth and comfort for the pets during examinations. A comfortable examination room is welcoming and comforting to patients and owners, which will help reduce anxiety in the pets as they come in for examination. The reception area should also include comfortable couches and holding pens for pets to sit as they wait to be attended. A comfortable reception for patients goes a long way in patient care as patients need reassurance and comfort (Coates, Jones & Coates, 2013).
The walls of the clinic are clean and well- maintained. However, modern hospital architecture has embraced art and aesthetics to improve the ambience of hospitals; pet clinics should therefore adopt this practice to improve the outlook of the hospital. The walls of the clinic should be painted to adopt a theme. The beauty of the place will make it homely for pets and their owners, making visits to the facility enjoyable.
Information Management
The clinic has already incorporated basic information management system that is used in billing, storing medical records, managing transaction from one service station to another and managing patients’ records. There are several advanced veterinary information management systems which aid information management in pet clinics. The clinic should improve to a management system which can help manage emergency situations by giving the right care path and action, tracking patient progress, recommending and tracking referrals, and sending patients reminders on when they are due for appointments.
Such a detailed information management system will improve efficiency in service delivery, improve interaction with pet owners on health of their pets and provide care givers with clear avenues of patient care. The management system will streamline services from the reception of the patient to referral where necessary, while also tracking emergency services to ensure timely intervention. Crowe states that veterinary software is important part of the diagnostic and treatment process (1991). Accurately capturing patient’s records helps in continuity in health services provision.
Improving Comfort
The environment of the clinic should be comfortable for both patients and owners. To begin with, the waiting lounge should be fitted with more comfortable couches for both the pets and owners. The lawns and the play areas should be made to accommodate families who accompany their pets to the clinic. The kennels are well built but should fitted with more comfortable soft furnishing. The bird area should be expanded since it is rather small and can get stuffed when there many birds at the clinic.
The clinic section where patients suffering chronic illnesses are held should be improved by including a recreational area especially for docs. Patients suffering chronic illnesses usually require long stays in hospitals, making them vulnerable to boredom and possible depression. The rooms in the physiotherapy area should be painted with lively colors to make it more vibrant and stimulating for the patients. When patients and their owners are comfortable at the clinic, they will always prefer Valley Road Pet Clinic for their care needs. Comfort also reduces aggression during treatment and procedures (Coates, Jones & Coates, 2013).
Equipment upgrade
Veterinary medicine has made strides in diagnostic and treatment equipment. Valley Road Pet Clinic is well equipped with the basic equipment for patient management. However, there are several medical equipment available, which can be used to improve treatment, testing and diagnosis. The clinic should therefore invest in a Sequential Whole Body Scanner PET/MRI, which helps to diagnose problems with internal organs, bone and muscle (Kalemis, Delattre & Heinzer, 2012). It would go a long way in helping diagnose cases in patients who present with unexplained discomfort, unusual posture/movement and in cases of injuries o body tissue. The clinic should also increase the number of warming units, infusion pumps, defibrillators and oclowaves. Sufficient equipment reduce waiting period for patients and also provides for options in case of equipment breakdown.
Image of scanner from diagonistics.com
Internet connectivity
The clinic has a reliable internet supply to the staff work stations. However, due to the high demand for wifi in public sitting areas, it would be good to have wifi for customers to use in the lobby and lawns of the clinic as they wait for their patients to be attended to. This is a great incentive to customers which will help beat boredom as they wait to be attended to. It will also help hospital staff to access information online which may be helpful in their line work. WIFI provision is nowadays considers a basic requirement for offices and public places due to the wide-spread need and use of internet.
Source: Internet World Stats- Table shows the trend in internet use which emphasizes the need for wifi in the clinic.
Additional Services
Valley Road Pet Clinic offers healthcare and rehabilitation services for its patients. There are varied services that if added will make the clinic more marketable and more convenient for pet owners as they will be able to find all services in one place. It will also make treatment easier for the clinic since it will reduce referrals while also increasing revenue for the hospital. Transfusion should be availed to enable theater services to run smoothly without the need for referral in cases of extensive surgical procedures.
In the current times, alternative medicine has been accepted into mainstream medicine practices. One common practice is acupuncture. The clinic should introduce acupuncture for patients to manage pain and skeletal problems. Many patients around the area currently seek acupuncture services from individual practitioners outside the town, which is expensive and time consuming. Providing this service at the clinic will help patients from the neighborhood while also increasing revenue for the clinic.
Effective waste management is an important aspect of any hospital environment. The current waste management system in Valley Road Pet Clinic is efficient and well designed and maintained, however, it would be a great service to the community and the clinic if Valley was to develop a green waste management system in response to the push for better practices to avert global warming.
Information for Pet Owners
Caring for pets is a complex matter for many pet owners. This includes not just daily management of pets, but also information on illnesses, nutrition and hygiene among others. Valley Road Pet Clinic should provide clients with information on caring for their pets. This can be done through booklets to be availed at the information area, and on the website. Providing clients with information equips them to properly handle their pets. This is a way of creating community awareness and can be taken up by the clinic as a social responsibility project. Sponsorship of Community Activity
The clinic should seek to provide services beyond the basic (Catley et al., 2015). As a public relations exercise and as a way of giving back to the community, the clinic should come up with community events where pet owners can interact and bond while also learning about caring for their pets. A good example is a pet show where community pet owners can come and showcase their pets in a fun filled family fair. The clinic can charge attendance fee which can go into a rehabilitation program for homeless animals. Such initiatives help the clinic to market itself while also giving back to the community.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Valley Road Pet Clinic is a great establishment with great services for the community. The facility is well situated and well-built and the services offered are remarkable. To improve profitability and avert competition in the market, the clinic needs to improve the general outlook of the facility, improve patient comfort, upgrade equipment, invest in new equipment and participate in social responsibility ventures. Summary of the recommended upgrade is as detailed on the table below:
References
Catley, A., Leyland, T., Mariner, J., Akabwai, D., Asfaw, W., Bekele, G., & Hassan, H. (2015). Para-veterinary professionals and the development of quality, self-sustaining community based services. Science Technology, 23(1), 225-252. Retrieved from http://www.livestock-emergency.net/userfiles/file/veterinary-services/Catley-et-al 2004.pdf
Coates, C., Jones, A., & Coates, M. (2013). Veterinary practice management. Wallingford, Oxfordshire: CABI.
Crowe, R. (1991). Computer software for agriculture and veterinary medicine.
Kalemis, A., Delattre, B., & Heinzer, S. (2012). Sequential whole-body PET/MR scanner: concept, clinical use, and optimization after two years in the clinic. The manufacturer’s perspective. Magnetic Resonance Materials In Physics, Biology And Medicine, 26(1), 5 23. doi:10.1007/s10334-012-0330-y
LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Scanner .8
Graph of internet usage9
Summary of Recommendations12
