CVM Professors Present at Inaugural VMX in Orlando
A record-breaking 18,000 veterinary professionals gathered in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 3-7 for the inaugural Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) to hear some of the more than 1,200 hours of talks and presentations delivered by nationally renowned speakers.
Among those presenting at VMX was Dr. Adam Little, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) former director of innovation and entrepreneurship, who addressed how technology is changing the way in which humans form relationships with pets and how veterinarians interact with their patients.
In his discussion of both the challenges and opportunities related to this trend, Little analyzed the internet’s effect of creating “a more informed client.” He said the dynamics of local veterinary practices have changed with the overwhelming amount of information that pet owners can now access.
“Clinics were the centralized authority in communities, where people would go for support,” Little said. “Before, people came to you as practitioners. Now, there is a vast array of alternatives, some of which, actively in some cases, work against what we would like as veterinarians.”
This easy access to information, Little said, challenges the relationships veterinarians have with their clients due to the assumptions and biases clients may form based on information from other sources, such as websites and mobile applications. Little explained that veterinarians must adjust to this trend of clients coming to them with that kind of information.
“We’re going to have to figure out a way to insert ourselves in digital conversations,” Little said. “We will have to do this either by translating the information that is made available through already-established platforms, or by helping to understand what preconceived biases and what research has been done prior to coming in to those visits.”
Another trend Little discussed was the desire of clients for constant communication, including through text and Facebook messages, which, he said, can be overwhelming for many veterinarians.
“I think many people would agree that they are now bombarded with the amount of ways in which clients are reaching out to them,” Little said. “We have gone into a world where we’re effectively always on call.”
This shift has opened up new opportunities for up-and-coming businesses to thrive, and, Little said, while those products may be helpful, it is important to know how to leverage technology by fitting it into a practice’s operations.
“We’re seeing that this new rise of businesses is being created to serve a new generation of customers who always wants to be connected,” Little said. “It’s really important to understand that it isn’t just about the technology but how it feeds into the workflows that your practice offers. We need to see the different pieces of the experience and be able to facilitate a connection between them to present a unified consistent experience for our clients.”
The result of this technology is a fragmentation of the veterinarian relationship, because technology has altered the relationship between veterinarians and their clients. While loyalty to a practice used to be generational, now clients value appointment efficiency over all, he said.
Little said part of being efficient involves simply asking a client the reason for a visit prior to the appointment, which can cut appointment times significantly.
“We can better create personalized visits by giving people the opportunity to share information in new ways,” Little said. “We show that there was a reduction of about 40 percent of appointment time. Owners were more engaged because you can reach them at the point where they’re actually prepared and caring about the information that you’re sharing.”
Overall, Little said he is optimistic about the future of veterinary medicine, as long as adaptation continues to take place.
“We’re going to have to figure out new ways in which we can fuse digital and in-person bonds,” Little said. “We all need to be comfortable with change. I’m incredibly optimistic about what our profession can do to respond to these challenges.”
Little was among a handful of CVM faculty members who presented at VMX. Others included Audrey Cook, Johanna Heseltine, Jonathan Lidbury, Elizabeth Martinez, Aaron Massecar, Adam Patterson, Erin Scott, Joerg Steiner, Canaan Whitfield, and Mike Willard.
Sponsored by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC), VMX also included veterinary continuing education sessions, hands-on labs, rounds, and networking luncheons at the largest veterinary conference in North America.
