Clinical Communication Tools for Contextualizing Spectrum of Care

The present article promotes awareness of the importance of clinical communication in contextualizing Spectrum of Care (SOC) delivery in veterinary medicine, discusses the need for a curious and humanistic approach to communication with clients, and offers several communication tools to support implementation through shared decision-making (SDM). The article also stresses the important role of evidence-based veterinary medicine, as well as client, patient, and veterinary-team considerations in contextualizing the spectrum of options available for deliberation by veterinary professional and client. SDM is delineated and discussed as the foundation for contextualizing SOC conversations.