Put spectrum of care to work with JAVMA supplement

It’s no secret that presenting clients with a spectrum of care options can help improve access to veterinary services. What’s often less clear is how to effectively apply this approach in everyday practice.

JAVMA’s latest supplement, “Weighing the Evidence and the Options: Spectrum of Care,” dives deep into that challenge, providing actionable insights for veterinarians, teams, and educators alike. The issue is available online now, and print copies are being delivered alongside the December JAVMA.

Beyond “gold standard” toward what’s possible

For decades, veterinary medicine has aspired to provide “gold standard” care—a one-size-fits-all ideal rooted in evidence and excellence. Yet, as guest editor Dr. Emma Read notes, today’s realities demand something broader: a continuum of acceptable options that meet animals’ medical needs while respecting the client’s resources, circumstances, and values.

“Spectrum of care” is an umbrella term covering the various ways to achieve that goal. It doesn’t mean lowering the bar—it means widening the doorway.

What you’ll find inside

Even if you’re already practicing spectrum of care in some form, this special issue will broaden your perspective and reinforce your commitment to meeting clients and patients where they are. Articles range from viewpoints to groundbreaking original research, going beyond what spectrum of care entails to tackle key questions like these:

• How can veterinarians implement spectrum of care more effectively?
• What skills and tools make it work in daily practice?
• How can we teach it—and what difference does that make for students?
• Can implementing spectrum of care improve patient and client outcomes?
• How can financial triage help tailor treatment plans to clients’ budgets?
• What benefits does spectrum of care bring to the veterinary team?

And more…

Among the exciting new features of this JAVMA supplement are several clinical spotlights that illustrate spectrum of care across diverse settings—from companion animal dentistry to bovine practice. You’ll also find a bonus technical tutorial video that walks veterinarians through how to apply an evidence-based approach when identifying and discussing multiple treatment options with clients.

A call to reflection—and action

Dr. Read challenges the profession to shift from asking “What’s ideal?” to “What’s possible for this client and patient, right now?” That mindset, she writes, is essential if veterinarians are to fulfill our end of the “grand bargain” with society: providing all animals with access to compassionate, high-quality care—regardless of their owner’s ZIP code or income.

Explore issue

For more about Dr. Read’s perspective on spectrum of care and the gems this special issue contains, be sure to catch her interview on the Veterinary Vertex podcast.

Up next

JAVMA publishes supplemental issues at least twice a year. Future topics include rehabilitation, oncology, end of life, cardiology, and more.