EBVM Learning II on the way

EBVM Learning, the acclaimed online tutorial from RCVS Knowledge that provides a foundation for veterinary professionals to apply evidence-based approaches to their work, is to be updated with new, interactive content, based on users’ feedback.

Since its launch in 2015, more than 24,000 people have accessed the free EBVM Learning tutorial, and more than 90% of those who have provided feedback would recommend it to others. With more than 1,000 users per month, it has attracted a wide range of professionals interested in evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM).

EBVM Learning currently comprises a set of modules that explains the five fundamental concepts of evidence-based veterinary medicine, drawing on case studies, exercises, worked examples and quizzes. The next iteration will take into account developments in the EBVM community and interactive technology, as well as feedback from users via a survey and stakeholder interviews. Planned content includes screencasts that demonstrate how to perform database searches and veterinary nursing case studies. The new version of the resource is scheduled to go live in early 2020.

Academic lead Sarah Baillie, Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Education at the University of Bristol, said: "The EBVM community continues to grow and it is now timely to review the resource to ensure it remains relevant to the wide range of people engaged in EBVM. In particular, we will aim to underscore the relevance of EBVM to the work of veterinary nurses, and to further raise awareness of the resource amongst our international veterinary colleagues.

"We are therefore delighted that the project team includes authors from Germany, Romania, South Africa, Canada and the United States, and that colleagues in Grenada and Bangladesh will provide their perspective on potential enhancements. We are also very pleased that many exceptional educators and practitioners from the UK who contributed to the original project were keen to be involved in the next stage."

Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, added: "The resounding success of EBVM Learning to date demonstrates that there is a clear need for a freely available, high quality, user-friendly introduction to practising evidence-based veterinary medicine. We are committed to creating and supporting the development of EBVM tools that help meet the needs of the veterinary community – and we rely on insights from the community to do so.

"We therefore encourage veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, academics and students who have accessed the EBVM Learning resource to complete a survey that will help us ensure the next version is as useful as possible."

The survey for veterinary professionals who have used EBVM Learning is open now: http://bit.ly/ebvmsurvey.

The survey will be live until 7 June and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Responses will be anonymised.