DOI : https :// doi . org / 10.56496 / SFCS6883

Katie Davy , BSc ( Hons ), RVN

Vets4Pets Charlton , London

ENVELOPE kdavy7 @ rvc . ac . uk

Katie graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2021 and currently works as an RVN at Vets4Pets Charlton , overseeing hospital proceedings and inpatient care . She has a keen interest in medical nursing and is particularly passionate about improving patient welfare . She is also an ISFM cat friendly clinic ambassador and strives to advocate for patient wellbeing in practice .

ABSTRACT The term ‘ fear-free ’ veterinary practice can be misleading because we cannot guarantee a truly fear-free experience for all patients , as the majority will experience some level of stress or anxiety during a visit to a practice . This anxiety can start before the patient even leaves their home and escalate when they reach the practice , which is an unfamiliar and often fear-evoking environment .

This article aims to provide a guide to reducing stress for patients through changes to practice techniques and protocols to create more positive patient experiences . As veterinary nurses , we can help manage our patients ' stress levels by using evidencebased research to develop positive approaches to patient visits and , particularly , inpatient stays . This involves a whole-team approach , with a focus on creating and maintaining more positive experiences .

Keywords patient , animal , enrichment , wellbeing , stress management

Introduction

A visit to the veterinary practice involves being in environments and circumstances that are unfamiliar to the majority of patients , including travelling to the clinic , experiences during the visit and the journey home – all of which may induce stress . When veterinary nurses recognise patient stressors and how these affect patient behaviour , this knowledge can inform and guide changes to the practice environment to minimise any negative effects of a visit on patient wellbeing .

As veterinary nurses , our aim should be to make every patient ' s experience in practice as positive as possible , particularly long-stay inpatients , which may be subject to more stress due to the nature of hospitalisation and the duration of separation from their owners . A wholeteam approach should be adopted to create positive experiences and reduce patient stress and negative associations for future visits . This can be achieved by gradually introducing simple , low-cost and easy-toimplement changes until they become routine practice .

28 Veterinary Nursing Journal