The purpose of medical consultation is to understand sickness in the context of someone’s life, drawing upon a broad range of approaches to awaken and support a person’s inner healing response. Health challenges impact many aspects of a person’s life, and many aspects of a person’s life can influence illness and the restoration of health. The success of any consultation depends on how well the patient and doctor communicate with each other. There is now firm evidence linking the quality of this communication to clinical outcomes. In the early 1980’s, Goldman, Lee and Rudd published the often-cited “10 Commandments of Consultation”, which effectively defined a practical standard for internal medicine consultation. Consultants were advised to:

• clarify the question
• determine the urgency of the consultation
• gather data independently rather than relying on that previously obtained
• be brief and succinct
• state the differential diagnosis concisely and be specific in recommendations
• anticipate potential problems and provide options
• honor the roles of other caregivers teach with tact
• maintain direct personal contact with the consulting physicians
• follow up with periodic notes and, where appropriate, recommendations.

Keep a good communication between doctor and patients is utmost importance, try to avoid whenever possible using a family member to translate. More often than not, you will be wasting your time; you will be unsure of the history and you will be unsure whether the doctor actually understands your problems.  The phone translator services are usually quite good.

While all physicians have a duty to seek medical consultation when confronted with problems beyond their expertise, the acceptance of a consultation referral by the internist implies certain additional duties. The consultation and its documentation should be carefully constructed to meet these duties and to avoid misunderstandings.

Once the patient and doctor have agreed that psychological distress is an important factor in the patient’s illness, they can start to examine management options to address this. Even if the patient has significant physical disease, it is important to detect and manage psychological comorbidity.

Adorable New Pet Series of Holiday Christmas Cards

Boxed Set of 18 with matching envelopes. Cards measure 5-in x 7-in

Inside Verse: Wishing you the best gifts of the season.

Part of the Pet Lovers Holiday Greeting Cards Series. DETAILS

The excellent acoustic sensitivity of a tunable diaphragm is the hallmark of this superior single-sided stethoscope. Award-winning design combines high-performance with portable convenience. The Littmann Veterinary Stethoscope features a tunable diaphragm, which allows the user to conveniently alternate between low- and high-frequency sounds without turning over the chestpiece. Benefits A tunable diaphragm allows the user to conveniently alternate between the low- and high-frequency sounds without turning over the chestpiece. Portable convenience of single-sided chestpiece. High-performance, single-lumen tubing for excellent acoustic performance in a range of attractive colors. Excellent acoustic seal and comfortable fit with patented 3M? Littmann® Snap Tight Soft-Sealing Eartips. Comfortably angled, anatomically correct headset. Patient-friendly, nonchill rim and diaphragm. Three-year warranty. Suggested Applications Used as a diagnostic aid as part of the physical assessment of a patient
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Large 19"wide x 58"long table top, features two V-top panels which adjust independently. 360° revolving capability & horizontal to near vertical positioning allows you to hold your patient in the right operating position without a thoracic positioner. Two sliding, quick-release, tie-down attachments are provided on each side for patient restraint. A 3" stainless steel trough, centered under the top panels, collects fluids into a collecting pail (not included). A foot-operated lift mechanism in the hydraulic base provides up and down capability, adjusting table height from 30 1/2" to 41". Veterinary Equipment by Paragon Medical. More info please contact Email: sales@paragonmed.com Ph.800-780-5266 – Fax 954-340-2457

Very young puppies and kittens are highly susceptible to infectious diseases because their immune systems are not fully mature. While nursing, their mother’s milk contains antibodies (special proteins) that provide some immunity to diseases; however, these maternal antibodies do not last long, and there may be gaps in protection as the milk antibodies decrease and the puppies’ or kittens’ immune system isn’t yet capable of fighting off infection.

In many instances, the first dose of a vaccine serves to prime the pet’s immune system against the virus or bacteria while subsequent doses help to further stimulate the immune system to produce the antibodies needed to protect a pet from specific diseases. To keep these gaps in protection as small as possible and to provide optimal protection against disease in the first few months of life, a series of vaccinations are scheduled, usually 3-4 weeks apart.

For most puppies and kittens, the final vaccination in the series is administered at about 4 months of age; however, in some situations, a veterinarian may alter this schedule based on an individual animal’s risk factors. Remember that an incomplete series of vaccinations may lead to incomplete protection, making puppies and kittens vulnerable to infection.

source: avma brochure, image source: Highway 29 Veterinary Hospital