Tips for High-Quality CoVet Records During Consultations

CoVet is designed to capture natural veterinary conversations and turn them into structured records. You don’t need to follow a script or change the way you normally speak.

That said, a few simple habits can help CoVet interpret complex or ambiguous conversations more accurately, especially during multi-pet visits or appointments where lots of information is being discussed.

Here are our top tips.

Before recording a consultation with a client, follow your clinic’s policies and any privacy or consent requirements that apply in your jurisdiction.

If you have questions about using CoVet in your practice, contact [email protected].

When helpful, briefly identify the patient and reason for the visit.

For example:

“We’re seeing Fluffy, a five-year-old female spayed bulldog, for ongoing skin issues. She has a history of dermatitis and receives Cytopoint injections monthly.”

You don’t need to follow a specific script. A little context can simply make it easier to interpret everything that follows.

When a finding, test result, treatment, or medication is important to the record, clearly identify what you’re referring to.

For example: “The ear cytology shows yeast.”

This is clearer than: “We found some yeast.”

The second statement leaves more room for ambiguity about where the yeast was found or what the comment refers to.

CoVet can generate separate records for multiple patients discussed during the same consultation.

When switching between patients, use their names to make it clear which history, finding, treatment, or recommendation belongs to each pet.

For example: “Bonnie has been experiencing vomiting and diarrhea. Betsy has not had any gastrointestinal signs.”

Using names is especially helpful when the conversation moves quickly between multiple animals.

For more guidance, see Managing Multiple Patients in a Single Consultation.

Your selected template tells CoVet what kind of document to create and what information to look for.

If you’re using a SOAP template, for example, providing some information relevant to the Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan can help CoVet build a more complete record.

You don’t need to discuss these sections in order, and you can move naturally between topics throughout the appointment.

If there’s a section you consistently don’t use, consider choosing or customizing a template that better matches your workflow.

When moving to a new part of the appointment, a simple verbal cue can provide useful context.

For example: “Let’s move on to the physical exam.”

Or: “I’m administering the rabies vaccine in the right hind limb. It’s valid for three years.”

This can be especially useful when the conversation, physical examination, and treatments are happening at the same time.

You can speak naturally during the consultation and use client-friendly language when appropriate.

If you want additional technical detail in the medical record, you can dictate it during or after the appointment.

For example, you might tell the client: “Molly has a small, movable lump under the skin on her left side.”

Then add: “For the record, that is a two-centimeter, soft, mobile subcutaneous mass on the left lateral thorax.”

You can also personalize the abbreviations and terminology CoVet uses in your records under Profile → Personalization → Abbreviations.

A little context can help connect a new finding or recommendation to the rest of the case.

For example: “Given Fluffy’s ongoing skin issues, I’d like to discuss trying a hypoallergenic diet.”

This makes the relationship between the patient's history and the recommendation clear.

Summarizing the plan at the end of a consultation can help both the client and the final record.

For example: “To recap, we’re starting Fluffy on an antifungal medication for the yeast infection, and we’ll recheck her in two weeks.”

You don’t need to repeat everything discussed during the appointment. Focus on the key decisions, treatments, and next steps you want the client to remember.

Clear audio gives CoVet better source material to work from.

For the best results:

If you notice that recordings from a particular room or device are consistently difficult to hear, try adjusting the device placement or testing another microphone setup.

These tips are intended to help in situations where context could otherwise be unclear. You shouldn’t need to narrate every action, speak in rigid sections, or dramatically change the way you communicate with clients.

Have your consultation naturally. When something is especially important or potentially ambiguous, a little extra clarity can help CoVet create a record that requires less cleanup afterward.

And as always, review your generated record before finalizing it to make sure it accurately reflects the consultation.