A focus group study of veterinarians' and pet owners' perceptions of the monetary aspects of veterinary care.
OBJECTIVE
To compare veterinarians' and pet owners' perceptions of client expectations with respect to the monetary aspects of veterinary care and identify challenges encountered by veterinarians in dealing with pet owners' expectations.


METHODS
Qualitative study based on focus group interviews.


METHODS
6 pet owner focus groups (32 owners) and 4 veterinarian focus groups (24 companion animal veterinarians).


METHODS
Independent focus group sessions were conducted with standardized open-ended questions and follow-up probes. Content analysis was performed on the focus group discussions.


RESULTS
Pet owners expected the care of their animal to take precedence over monetary aspects. They also expected veterinarians to initiate discussions of costs upfront but indicated that such discussions were uncommon. Veterinarians and pet owners differed in the way they related to discussions of veterinary costs. Veterinarians focused on tangibles, such as time and services. Pet owners focused on outcome as it related to their pet's health and well-being. Veterinarians reported that they sometimes felt undervalued for their efforts. A suspicion regarding the motivation behind veterinarians' recommendations surfaced among some participating pet owners.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggested that the monetary aspects of veterinary care pose barriers and challenges for veterinarians and pet owners. By exploring clients' expectations, improving communication, educating clients, and making discussions of cost more common, veterinarians may be able to alleviate some of the monetary challenges involved in veterinarian-client-patient interactions.
Coe
Jason B
JB
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Adams
Cindy L
CL
Bonnett
Brenda N
BN
D000827:Animal Welfare / Q000191:economics; D000818:Animals; D003142:Communication; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009042:Motivation; D010067:Ownership / Q000191:economics; D010465:Perception; D018634:Veterinarians / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000191:economics*; D014741:Video Recording