Veterinary Vertex
Veterinary Vertex is a weekly podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the clinical and research discoveries published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) and the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR). Tune in to learn about cutting-edge veterinary research and gain in-depth insights you won’t find anywhere else. Come away with knowledge you can put to use in your own practice – along with a healthy dose of inspiration to remind you what you love about veterinary medicine.
Veterinary Vertex
How Veterinary Teams Use Agenda Setting to Boost Client Satisfaction and Efficiency
Ever have a client drop a “by the way” just as their hand hits the doorknob? We tackle the fix: agenda setting that captures every concern upfront, keeps appointments on track, and strengthens trust without adding time. With guests Drs. Jane Shaw, Kat Sutherland, and Natasha Janke, we map the science and the steps behind a small change that delivers big wins for veterinary teams and clients alike.
We walk through the practical anatomy of a better visit: start with a solid introduction, gather the client’s full list using open-ended questions, resist premature problem solving, summarize the agenda aloud, then triage together. You’ll hear how this approach anchors relationship-centered care, improves client satisfaction, and supports adherence—key predictors of better outcomes. Our guests explain how to insert the veterinary agenda transparently for topics like dental care, weight management, behavior, and nutrition, all without sidelining what the client values most.
From classroom to clinic, we cover training that sticks: scripting that sounds natural, team roles that share the workload, and habits that prevent doorknob disclosures. We unpack common pitfalls—closed questions, one-and-done lists, and diving too deep too soon—and offer simple replacements you can try today. Plus, we spotlight current research, where the evidence is strong, and what’s next for measuring appointment efficiency, client and veterinarian satisfaction, and late-rising concerns.
Ready to try it? Start every appointment with a complete agenda, confirm it, and choose what fits today. Subscribe for more conversations that sharpen clinical communication, share this episode with your team, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.
JAVMA article: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.06.0377
INTERESTED IN SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO JAVMA ® OR AJVR ® ?
JAVMA ® : https://avma.org/JAVMAAuthors
AJVR ® : https://avma.org/AJVRAuthors
FOLLOW US:
JAVMA ® :
Facebook: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA | Facebook
Instagram: JAVMA (@avma_javma) • Instagram photos and videos
Twitter: JAVMA (@AVMAJAVMA) / Twitter
AJVR ® :
Facebook: American Journal of Veterinary Research - AJVR | Facebook
Instagram: AJVR (@ajvroa) • Instagram photos and videos
Twitter: AJVR (@AJVROA) / Twitter
JAVMA ® and AJVR ® LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/avma-journals
From the makers of FET recommended Green East Dental Treats comes an easy way to support your dog's wellness. Green East Smart Essentials Dry Food delivers complete balanced nutrition with science-backed recipes. Green East Supplements, developed by a team of PhD animal nutritionists, offers options to help support healthy joints, digestion, and more. Whether it's meal time or mobility support, Green Eats helps you care for your dog from the inside out. Learn more at greenies.com.
SPEAKER_04:Welcome to Veterinary Vertex, the AVMade Journal's podcast, where we delve into behind-the-scenes look with manuscript authors. I'm editor-in-chief Lisa Fortier, joined by associate editor Sarah Wright. Today we're discussing how to use agenda setting with authors Kat, Natasha, and Jane. Thank you guys so much for your repeat appearance and for being here today.
SPEAKER_01:It's our pleasure.
SPEAKER_04:Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER_02:Happy to be here. Before we dive in, can you share a little about your background and what brought you to veterinary communication research?
SPEAKER_05:Sure, I can jump first. So I guess my path to veterinary communication teaching and research started back when I was doing my master's studying animal nutrition, specifically looking at owner factors related to dog obesity. And so, of course, we know that obesity in pets has a human component to it. And it's important for the vet team to have effective communication with clients. So it kind of snowballed from there into my PhD and my postdoctoral studies in veterinary clinical communication, still always with the focus on pet obesity before spending some time at CSU Colorado State, and then returning to Ontario Veterinary College.
SPEAKER_04:Ooh, Go Rams, CSU 91. Sarah knew that was coming. Your guys' JAMA technical tutorial video discusses how agenda setting can enhance appointment efficiency, which is really important when we're all so busy and trying to uh enhance our work-life balance. Please walk us through the motivation cat behind this teaching this communication skill.
SPEAKER_05:She really pioneered teaching us in the curriculum.
SPEAKER_04:Turf it over to Jane.
SPEAKER_01:It was a great question because it really got me thinking. It was about eight years ago when Jason Cole and I started outlining a textbook. And so, as part of outlining that textbook, we were determining what skills to focus on. And we were, in particular, thinking about the beginning of the interview. And I was realizing we were really missing teaching agenda setting to our students. And so in the past eight years has been quite a big focus, actually, of our curriculum in making sure that every um interview in our laboratory and then in community practice service, students are getting the client's agenda right up front in the visit.
SPEAKER_04:That's really I didn't receive any sort of teaching like that. That's really amazing. Kat, have you received any feedback from practitioners who tried applying these findings?
SPEAKER_05:For sure. Yeah. I mean, I think the feedback that we hear is, oh, hey, this actually works when you do it and when you're intentional about integrating agenda setting into their day-to-day practice from both clinicians and students as well, once they get the hang of it. They do see that it does help uncover multiple items the clients would like to address. And it also gives them an opportunity really early on to further develop rapport and create a real sense of partnership with the client. And then I think the other piece of feedback is it works. And once you do practice it and get comfortable and efficient with it, it really doesn't take huge amounts of time and it is worth the time that it takes.
SPEAKER_04:Very good. You really teed up my next question, which I was going to ask Natasha. How might this agenda setting influence client satisfaction or even patient outcomes?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's a great question, Lisa. Um, agenda setting itself definitely fosters an opportunity for clients to have their concerns heard and early on in the visit too, so that those concerns can be addressed. And like Kat mentioned, it also creates an opportunity for a partnership to start developing between the veterinary professional and their client right up front in the appointment. And we've seen from previous research that both being heard or having their concerns heard and working in partnership with their veterinarian is something that clients are looking for when they attend veterinary appointments, which definitely has an impact on their satisfaction. And then if we consider that agenda setting more broadly is related to enhanced relationship-centered care within appointments, we've seen that relationship-centered communication is associated with client satisfaction as well as client adherence. So we could use that as a proxy when estimating the impact on patient outcomes, but certainly there's more opportunity for us to look into the direct impact of agenda setting on patient outcomes.
SPEAKER_04:That's fabulous. Jane, if you could look in hindsight and redesign the appointment experience entirely from scratch, what would it look like?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So we actually teach it this way right now. Um it would start with a solid introduction. Um, and then after the introduction is complete, the next step the practitioner would go through is getting the client's agenda. And then the tricky thing is completing the client's agenda before going on to history. So what happens is they hear about a problem during the agenda setting, and our clinical mind goes to, I want to learn more about that. So it takes a little bit of discipline to like, I say, pull on the reins until um, and know that you get to explore everything the client says, but get everything out up front um early on.
SPEAKER_04:We don't pull on the reins, we just collect the horse, we just make contact. Make contact. Yes. Well, good clarification, Lisa.
SPEAKER_02:That does sound tricky though, Jane. Like I that's the first thing I thought of when you said as soon as you hear a problem, your mind instantly goes to, ooh, here's some diagnostics I can do. Here's some maybe differentials I'm thinking of. So really teaching your brain how to work. Yeah. This is a great video, though. I hope people watch it and they can learn and implement this in their practice. So, Natasha, what are the key take-home messages you hope veterinarians will remember?
SPEAKER_03:So there are a few key take-home messages that I would say, but if there's only one take-home message that you're gonna remember from this podcast or from the technical tutorial video, um, I would say that setting an agenda early in the visit can help reduce the odds of weight-rising concerns from clients later in the visit or those doorknob concerns where they're about to leave the appointment and say, oh, by the way, I wanted to bring this up. And so ultimately that's gonna impact the efficiency of your appointments. Um, beyond that, I would also suggest that agenda setting can involve multiple team members, especially if you're using a team-based approach to your appointments. And so with that in mind, I think it's really important for practices to consider really investing in communication training for all team members, not only their veterinarians.
SPEAKER_04:Fantastic. Natasha, well, we have you, let's talk about your journey here. What initially sparked your interest in veterinary communication?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Lisa, I would say it was more than a spark. It was love at first sight. So after I completed my master's, um, Dr. Jason Coe, who Jane mentioned earlier, had approached me about completing a PhD with him. And I knew that I wanted to conduct research that would ultimately have an impact on animal outcomes. And it wasn't until I started digging into the literature around clinical communication, both in human medicine and in veterinary medicine, that I recognized it was an opportunity to impact both human and animal outcomes. So we have opportunities to impact outcomes related to the veterinary professionals working with animals, as well as the caregivers of those animals, and of course the animals themselves. And very early on, I attended the International Conference of Communication in Veterinary Medicine, and it was such a welcoming environment. Um, I could see the opportunity that existed in this field, and so that really drew me in.
SPEAKER_04:Well, have not heard of that conference. Jane, were there any communication theories that resonated with you early on?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, and Natasha already mentioned it, um, relationship-centered care. So, relationship-centered care is an approach where we can think of meet, we call it maybe the meeting of experts or a collaborative partnership, where we view the expertise of the client as the kind of their expertise in the animal. They, and that's the challenge of our profession, right? Is that we can't speak directly to our patients and we rely highly on our clients to tell us what they're seeing. And so it's valuing that client's expertise as well as the client has the opportunity to hear and share our expertise. And so where agenda setting falls into that is um when we know the client's agenda up front, we can really partner with them in achieving the goals that they're wanting to achieve in this appointment time. And so it's it's really a relationship-centered communication skill to do agenda setting appropriately up front in the visit.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, fantastic. Natasha, what are the most common communication pitfalls in veterinary settings right now?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Lisa, I think I'll focus within even agenda setting itself, um, with that being the topic of our technical tutorial. And Jane covered a huge one earlier, which was that tendency for veterinary professionals to want to jump to um problem solving or gathering history when they hear that problem. Um, and so I won't go you know further into that, but one of two other pitfalls that we see in relation to agenda setting are the tendency to want to use closed-ended questions. So asking, do you have any concerns for your animal today, versus an open-ended question, like what concerns do you have today? And we do see that clients um tend to share more concerns when an open-ended question is used, whereas that closed-ended question, we tend to hear more can more clients who have zero concerns to share. So we're getting more information up front with that open-ended question. And then the other pitfall I see frequently is to assume that if we have heard a concern from the client, that that's all of their concerns. So continuing to follow up with questions like, what else would you like to discuss today, or what other concerns do you have until you've really heard the client say, that's everything for today, or that's all my concerns.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, what you guys are amazing. Kat, there must be aspects of agenda setting that are still misunderstood. For sure.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I think several. I think the two big ones that come to mind for me is, you know, what we hear sort of as the main um objection to agenda setting, which is that I don't have time to do this. It's gonna take way too long. Um, the other piece would be that clients are gonna be bothered or upset or offended in some way if we sort of keep repeatedly asking what's on their list and on their agenda. So, you know, as the others have said, there is a bit of a research gap here that we have to acknowledge, but we do have evidence that agenda setting is gonna help efficiency, not hurt it, especially once you are skilled and comfortable with the process and being really intentional about using it. And I'll say that we don't have a lot of feedback at this point from clients on how they feel about agenda setting being used by their veterinary team. I wouldn't expect that many of them would be upset or bothered by it, but we do need to spend some time exploring their perceptions as well.
SPEAKER_02:And if you're listening to this episode or watching it and you want to watch this in practice, you can do so. I'm gonna link to their video in the show notes. And it is open access. So you'll be able to look at it and see how you can implement this in your practice. So, Kat, looking ahead, what are the next steps for research in this area?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I mean, it's a great question because we definitely do recognize that there is this gap in the research around agenda setting. Um, so going forward, I think one of the most important things we need to do is really explore the relationship between agenda setting and those appointment level outcomes so we can really build on the evidence that already exists for the use of it in practice. Um, we do, as a team, actually have a proposal for an in-clinic project looking at agenda settings. Some of the outcomes that we'd be interested in are client satisfaction, veterinarian satisfaction, appointment lengths. So, so again, that efficiency piece, um, the presence of doorknob disclosures, the late rising concerns. And then as Natasha mentioned earlier, I think down the line, what we really want to see is the relationship between this and patient outcomes.
SPEAKER_02:Very cool. Well, we hope that comes to fruition so that we can see it in the future. And Kat, how do you plan to measure success or impact the next phase of this research?
SPEAKER_05:For sure. Yeah. So I mean, promising results of the project itself would be great to see. So we would expect and hope that agenda setting would improve the satisfaction and appointment efficiency. Um, I also think that for us in communications, sort of a measure of success or something that tells us that what we're teaching and researching is having an impact is when we see it being picked up and taught at other schools and their curriculum or spoken about at conferences or continuing education events. Um, so not an exact metric, but when we're now in the audience and seeing others really promote and encourage the things that we've been teaching and researching, um, that to me speaks to the impact that it's having on the profession and that people are really seeing the value of it.
SPEAKER_02:Natasha, how do you envision your findings being translated into practical tools or training for veterinary teens?
SPEAKER_03:Well, one of the ways that I think we've all been already doing is incorporating it into veterinary curricula. And I love doing podcasts like this because it's actually the first time I've heard that origin story from you know Jane and Jason working together and how that led to agenda setting being more integrated into the curriculum at CSU. And I know it's also at OBC as well. Um the other way that I have seen, and we've all the three of us have seen agenda setting be incorporated into training is through Colorado State University's Frank communication workshops, and that's a continuing education series of workshops for veterinary professionals to improve their relationship-centered communication skills, including agenda setting. And what I've noticed about the attendees in those workshops over the last few years is that we're seeing more diversity in the roles of participants. So while there's, I'd say there's still predominantly veterinarians attending, we see a lot of veterinary technicians, practice managers, veterinary assistants, even in larger practice groups, the regional operations directors or managers are getting involved in this training. So when it comes to this being translated into training for veterinary teams, I love to see that diversity in the roles that are coming to communication training, because that's how everyone can get on the same page and use these skills and practice together. Because, like we mentioned, agenda setting is a team sport. And um I also hope that everyone has a look at the technical tutorial video to see how you can implement agenda setting in your own practice, regardless of your role.
SPEAKER_02:And Jane, what long-term changes would you like to see in veterinary practice as a result of this research?
SPEAKER_01:It it comes down to a simple line setting the agenda, every appointment, every time. And it's really an incredibly transformative skill for the veterinary appointment. And also the three of us have worked very closely together. And we start every single conversation and meeting with agenda setting. And so it's a skill for just efficiency in day-to-day life, even in social conversations, to be able to say, what are you hoping that we can do today? Like it's a Saturday, it's a busy day for the family, right? What's all on our to-do list to have a good day, a good weekend, right? So it's a skill that's a life uh that has turned out to be a pretty powerful life skill beyond just a professional skill.
SPEAKER_04:That's a really great point. And Gene, how did all that previous work that you've done prepare you to create this specific technical tutorial video?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, it's been a journey of 20 years now that I've been teaching these skills. And um, it has been a process. We started at CSU first focusing on client agenda. Um, so um, and only in like one part of the curriculum. And then we added in the professional veterinary, the veterinary professionals' agenda. So let me back up. We started with one part of agenda setting, which is really focusing on the client's agenda. And then we built over time adding the veterinary professionals' agenda, because sometimes we have topics that are not on the client's radar, like dental care or weight management or behavioral issues, uh, nutrition, that we might need to insert um into the agenda that's not on the client's awareness. So we also teach how do you insert your agenda items as well as um still respect what the client has on their agenda. And so it was a process of teaching those two pieces. And then over time, we integrated it into now it will be in every aspect of our curriculum, all the modules. Um, so our communication curriculum is integrated through all four years, and students usually have two courses per semester in the first three years. And so agenda setting will be in every single pre-course before they hit the clinics. And so they'll have a lot of practice with that skill before they even um see a real client in community practice.
SPEAKER_02:That's fantastic because you really grow as a clinician in those for that first year of practice when you're out. Some people even argue that's how you're gonna practice potentially for the rest of your career, that first year of training. So I think it's really excellent that's be incorporated early into your training. So hopefully you can continue to build nipple on that skill. So now we get to move on to our very important set of questions here. We're gonna boil all this great information that you've shared in the last like 18 minutes or so into one piece of information for both the veterinarian and the client. So, Jane and Kat, what is one piece of information the veterinarian should know about using agenda setting and clinical practice?
SPEAKER_01:I don't mean to be repetitive, but just do it.
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, I agree. It's not gonna take you too much time. It will save you time later. Go slow to go fast. Just do it up front. Excellent.
SPEAKER_02:And Natasha, for the clients, what's one thing you wish more people understood about this topic?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I wish more clients understood that it's okay to come to your veterinap with a list of questions that you've prepared or a list of concerns that you have that you've written down ahead of time because ultimately that's going to be incredibly useful for the veterin and even make that agenda setting process even more efficient. Um, so I know that I've definitely left appointments thinking, oh, I wish I had asked this, and I completely forgot even something important that I knew I wanted to ask in advance. So there's nothing wrong with writing down your concerns and questions beforehand and bringing that in. Um, ultimately it's gonna help your veterin team help you and your pet.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, I agree with that, Natasha. I do the same thing for when I'm a client, right? And I put them on my phone and I don't uh, because then I'm gonna forget that dang piece of paper somewhere. Exactly. And then yeah, and then just say to the doctor or whoever I'm with, you know, it could be the auto technician, right? Sorry, I'm not being rude. I'm just looking at my list of things that I'd like addressed. Absolutely. Uh before we wrap up, we like to have a little fun. Uh so from each of you, we'll start maybe with Natasha while I have you. What do you think is the most beautiful animal and why?
SPEAKER_03:So the most beautiful animal to me is the cheetah. And I can't exactly pinpoint why it is. It might be their unique facial markings, but ever since I was a kid getting National Geographic magazines in the mail, I just loved seeing cheetahs and learning about them. So that would be what I would consider the most beautiful animal.
SPEAKER_04:Wonderful.
SPEAKER_03:Kat, how about you?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah, this was a tough one. I'm gonna go with really any of the birds of paradise, just the colors and feather designs and and their songs, like so much variety in nature. It's really incredible.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, we uh we've just started asking this question. We've gotten birds a couple times, but nobody brought in their beautiful song. So thank you for adding that. Jane, how about you?
SPEAKER_01:I have a tie between the giraffe and the zebra. And I think it's it's their incredible, the incredible colors and patterns of their coats, you know, that's fascinating. That also has evolutionary advantages, right, to help them be camouflaged. Um, but they're just incredibly beautiful looking animals.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, all super great answers. Actually, this all of your answers reminded me that I just saw the Lion King, the musical on Saturday. You know, all those animals were in the musical, and they're all very cool to look at. It was a wonderful show. But thank you so much, Chaincat and Natasha, for being here today, also for sharing your video with us as well. I think it's gonna be a great teaching tool.
SPEAKER_05:Well, thank you so much for having us, and we're excited to have this technical tutorial out there for people to learn from.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's always a pleasure to be here.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you for asking us to join you again.
SPEAKER_02:For our listeners, you can watch the full JabMa technical tutorial video on YouTube or our website. I'm Sarah Wright here at Lisa Fortier. Be sure to tune in next week for another episode of Veterinary Vertex, and don't forget to leave us a rating and review on Epo Podcast or wherever you listen.
