AI Tools Designed for the Clinical Team at Your Veterinary Practice

With the right AI tools, your clinical team can focus more on patients and less on paperwork. That’s exactly what we’re going to be discussing in this article with real tools your team can start using today. If you want to dive deeper into AI at your veterinary practice, join us at this year’s Modern Veterinary Practice Theatre at the London Vet Show.

To get ready, take a read through the last four articles of this series on AI in the veterinary industry:

1. The Evolution of Veterinary Reception: From Traditional to AI-Enhanced
2. Using AI as an Intelligent Assistant for the Admin of Your Veterinary Practice
3. Empowering Pet Owners and Enhancing Client Engagement with AI
4. Augment Your Veterinary Practice Management with AI

AI-Powered Voice Recognition and Dictation Tools

AI-powered voice recognition and dictation tools like CoVet, Talkatoo, and VetRec allow veterinarians to dictate notes directly into the practice management system during consultations. The AI transcribes speech in real-time, formatting the notes into the industry-standard SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) format. This process happens seamlessly, requiring minimal input from the veterinarian beyond their vocal dictation

Here are a few ways tools like these can enhance your clinicians:

• Time Efficiency: Practices implementing these tools have reported up to a 30% reduction in documentation time. This translates to more time for patient care and potentially more appointments per day.
• Improved Accuracy: By reducing manual typing, these tools minimise the risk of typographical errors and misinterpretations that can occur during rushed note-taking.
• Comprehensive Records: Vets can provide more detailed notes without the time pressure, leading to more thorough patient records.
• Real-time Documentation: Notes are completed during the consultation, reducing after-hours paperwork and improving work-life balance for veterinary staff.
• Integration with Practice Management Systems: Many of these tools seamlessly integrate with existing practice management software, ensuring a smooth workflow.

Clinical Decision Support Systems

In the veterinary context, Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), like Vet Pulse, analyse patient data, clinical observations, and vast databases of veterinary knowledge to provide evidence-based recommendations. They can process information much faster than a human can, considering numerous factors simultaneously to suggest potential diagnoses, treatment options, and even flag potential drug interactions.

Essentially, CDSS acts as the bridge between raw clinical data and the veterinarian’s expertise. This is how they offer insights that might not be immediately apparent and help to ensure that no critical factors are overlooked in the decision-making process.

It’s crucial to emphasise that while these AI-powered systems are powerful tools, they are designed to support, not supplant, veterinary judgment. The final decision always rests with the veterinarian, who combines the AI-provided information with their clinical experience and knowledge of the individual patient.

AI-Integrated Practice Management Systems

Digitail and Lupa Pets go beyond simple record-keeping and scheduling. They act as intelligent assistants, capable of analysing vast amounts of data to provide valuable insights and automate routine tasks. Here’s how these systems are transforming veterinary practices:

• Patient History Summarisation: One of the most time-consuming aspects of patient care is reviewing extensive medical histories. With natural language processing, AI systems can quickly analyse and summarise patient records.
• Treatment Planning: AI-integrated systems can assist in creating treatment plans by suggesting evidence-based protocols based on the diagnosis and patient specifics.
• Automated Follow-ups: Automatically scheduling follow-up appointments and sending reminders to pet owners ensures continuity of care and improves client compliance with treatment plans.
• Business Analytics: By analysing practice data, these systems can provide valuable insights into clinic performance, helping practice owners make informed decisions about staffing, services, and overall business strategy.

Enhancing Client Communication with AI

Effective communication with pet owners is crucial for optimising patient care and building lasting client relationships. PetDesk and Vetstoria are leveraging AI to transform how veterinary practices engage with their clients.

PetDesk: Personalised Pet Care Management

With a focus on enhancing client communication and engagement, PetDesk uses AI to provide immediate feedback and smart communications to pet owners. To be more specific:

• AI-Powered Chatbots: These provide instant responses to common client queries 24/7, answering questions about services, operating hours, and policies, as well as offering basic pet care advice.
• Personalised Communication: With an analysis of patient records, PetDesk sends customised reminders based on each pet’s specific health needs and provides personalised pet care tips relevant to the pet’s age, breed, and health status.
• Appointment Management: The system sends smart reminders to reduce no-shows and allows easy rescheduling, optimising the clinic’s schedule.
• Post-Visit Follow-ups: PetDesk automates and personalises post-visit communications, sending treatment plan reminders and requesting feedback on the visit experience.

Vetstoria: Smart Appointment Scheduling

Instead of focusing on communications, Vetstoria makes your veterinary practice’s appointment scheduling system smart in more ways than one.

• Intelligent Scheduling: Vetstoria’s AI optimises appointment slots based on the type of visit and veterinarian availability, ensuring efficient use of clinic resources.
• Wait-list Management: The system automatically fills canceled appointments from a wait-list, maximising clinic productivity.
• Multilingual Support: AI-powered translation tools help practices communicate effectively with non-native speakers, ensuring a clear understanding of pet care instructions and treatment plans.
• Predictive Analytics: By analysing patient data, Vetstoria helps practices identify pets due for check-ups or at risk for certain conditions, allowing for proactive outreach to pet owners.

Conclusion

For veterinary professionals, embracing these technologies while maintaining a focus on compassionate, hands-on care will be key to thriving in this new era. Continuous learning and adaptability will be essential skills as the field evolves.

The journey of AI in veterinary medicine is just beginning, and the possibilities are limitless. Learn how you can stay ahead of technology by starting to embrace technology today by joining us at this year’s Modern Veterinary Practice Theatre at the London Vet Show.