Interacting With Others in Healthcare: Mitigating Bias and Acknowledging the Effects of Expectations, Perceptions, and Assumptions on Framing Care and Forward Planning

This chapter explores dialogic communication within the context of the veterinarian–client–patient relationship (VCPR). Key influencers in provider–(human) patient and provider–(veterinary) client interactions include race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, language, health literacy, and access to care. These influential factors can potentiate communication barriers, mistrust, and/or disparities in care. Power dynamics and the inherent power imbalance in provider–consumer interactions represent additional challenges in veterinary practice. To make progress toward equitable care, healthcare providers bear the responsibility to both acknowledge and question their assumptions about others. Engaging in this type of reflective practice increases veterinarians’ self-awareness and may prompt the development of cognitive flexibility to shift assumptions and biases acquired through implicit learning.