There are two buzzwords that have been doing the rounds in the UK veterinary profession for the last few months: “pragmatic” and “contextual’ veterinary care, both of them in response to the spiralling costs of veterinary care, the Competition and Market Authority investigation, and a growing awareness in the profession that the highest clinical standards don’t serve anyone very well, least of all animals, if they are not affordable.

Some vets I have spoken to dislike the idea of offering ‘pragmatic care’ because for them it sounds like a compromise. They prefer to use the term ‘contextual care’, which buries discussion about “affordability” beneath a wider set of client circumstances that affect clinical decision-making.

Veterinary charities have been practising pragmatic medicine forever, so I went to visit the Blue Cross in London and find out how they define it.

Do they think pragmatism is in any way negative or second-rate?

On the contrary, they take pride in offering pragmatic care for animals. “Pragmatic and Proud” you might say!

What do you think? Do you like the Blue Cross definition of pragmatism and do you agree that we need more of it in the veterinary profession? Post here or join me in the discussion at: https://lnkd.in/eksagrH5

Thanks to the wonderful team at Blue Cross for making this film possible and especially to Alison Thomas for sharing her thoughts on this important topic.