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If your practice has been using the Preventive Pet Healthcare guide to becoming a PRACTICE CHAMPION workbook, you know how important it is to adopt guidelines and protocols. Guidelines put everyone on the same page when you are implementing preventive healthcare. If the practice hasn’t adopted preventive healthcare guidelines for cats and dogs, don’t panic! There are resources that you can consult to get you started. AAHA/AVMA offers canine and feline guidelines that can be adopted as is, embellished or used as a starting point.

Begin by reviewing available guidelines. Even if the practice has developed guidelines, it can be helpful to compare them to others that are available. This exercise will help determine whether existing guidelines are satisfactory or should be refreshed.

Whatever guidelines the practice chooses to adopt, the implementation will be enhanced by taking a few preliminary actions:

1. As the team starts to discuss guidelines, be sure owners and top managers in the practice are on board with the process to lend credibility to the effort.
2. Keep in mind that the most important person in this initiative is the person who is responsible for organizing and executing. The team member who is responsible for leading this effort should have support and resources necessary to ensure that the execution is successful. For example, is adequate meeting space available for the team, are team members encouraged to participate and attend meetings and is information readily available to all team members?
3. Identify team members who are enthusiastic about adopting and implementing the guidelines and consider identifying them as “go to” staff during the implementation process. Their knowledge, understanding, and enthusiasm will help to energize the team and increase buy-in among staff.
4. Generate excitement for the adoption and implementation of the guidelines. Posters reminding staff to adhere to the guidelines and inspirational wrist bands with slogans encouraging staff to promote guidelines are examples of ways to motivate staff.
5. Remember that your staff is unique: some learn faster than others, and some take a longer time to feel comfortable with new material. Make provisions to respond to the various needs of staff and do not expect them to be proficient with the guidelines simultaneously.
6. Finally, the guidelines are part of a larger strategy to ensure the health of your patients. Reinforce this to staff so that their actions become second nature. It is essential that they view the guidelines as a strategy rather than a checklist.

PHP offers a suite of tools that motivate and align the entire practice team around preventive healthcare protocols.

Additionally, VHMA’s Champion’s Workbook for Preventive Pet Healthcare provides a step-by-step process to increased emphasis on preventive healthcare in your practice. It includes tips from getting support from your practice leadership to developing effective ways to roll out plans to the entire staff. You can use this workbook to help your team become aligned with your practice’s philosophy and speak with one voice. Let this workbook be your roadmap to making a difference with your patients, clients, practice, team and you.