RCVS Knowledge's 2022 Awards formally conferred
8 July 2022
We are delighted to confer formally our 2022 awards today, at the Royal College Day held by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Amanda Boag, Chair of our Board of Trustees, presented the following RCVS Knowledge Awards, which all reflect our mission to improve the quality of veterinary care by advancing the use of evidence-based veterinary medicine and inspire Quality Improvement.
Veterinary Evidence Student Awards
The Veterinary Evidence Student Awards were launched in 2019 to recognise and support students’ engagement with evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) and its application into practice.
The winner of the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards 2022 is Sarah Daphne Foo. Whilst studying for a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology at the University of Sydney, Sarah submitted the winning Knowledge Summary titled ‘Comparison of supraglottic airway devices versus endotracheal intubation for achieving a patent airway and maintaining a stable anaesthesia in rabbits’.
Sarah focused on this topic as rabbits are becoming more popular as pets. Her paper found evidence to support the use of both devices in maintaining a stable anaesthesia in rabbits, but for those practitioners who are untrained in endotracheal intubation in rabbits, supraglottic devices may be an alternative.
Enter the 2023 Veterinary Evidence Student Awards
Knowledge Awards for Quality Improvement
The Knowledge Awards showcase excellence in Quality Improvement (QI) and celebrate individuals and teams that have driven improvement within their organisation.
Vets Now Ltd identified room for improvement in the care of dystocia cases using feedback from their wider team. Due to an increase in the number of dystocia cases being seen, the team requested updated guidelines and training and a working group was created to support this. The group began by auditing and capturing benchmarks for dystocia cases across Vets Now Ltd. To support clinicians with decision-making and improve patient welfare, the group used these data to inform guidelines and resources relevant to care provided by Vets Now Ltd. Both the data and the resources were disseminated to the team through specialised training. The level of engagement in the audit highlighted team-wide commitment to improving patient outcomes.
Donview Veterinary Centre demonstrated a strong learning culture through an initiative to improve post-operative temperatures. Working together, the team performed an audit, and used the results to assess where they could improve. Suggestions from the team were successfully implemented across the practice, and investments in new equipment were made. The audit showed a robust dedication to improvement, with the whole team working together to identify gaps in care.
Eloise Collins, Head Veterinary Nurse at Beech House Veterinary Centre, used checklists, auditing, benchmarking, team meetings and journal clubs to help improve patient care and outcomes and improve practice culture. Eloise helped bolster psychological safety amongst the team through her open and honest approach. The application showed an improvement culture involving the entire team creates positive change.
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists introduced a Notice to Anaesthetists (NOTAN), a notice inspired by the aviation industry that highlights any changes that might have safety implications. The NOTAN was introduced after a team survey identified gaps in knowledge about the latest information on anaesthesia practice, protocols, and equipment. The team agreed that an electronic notification would be an effective change and increase confidence. In addition, follow up team engagement showed that a simple, effective initiative can create measurable improvements.
Enter the 2023 Knowledge Awards for Quality Improvement
The Plowright Prize
The biennial Plowright Prize recognises an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of infectious diseases in animals. The 2022 Plowright Prize has been awarded to Dr Herman Barkema, Professor in Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases from the University of Calgary, for his research on Mastitis, Johne’s disease and antimicrobial
resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health concern in both animal and human health. Dr Barkema researches the pathogenesis, prevention, control, and treatment of infectious diseases, focusing on dairy cattle. He uses epidemiology to study disease pathogenesis, improve management to prevent and control infectious diseases, promote health and wellbeing, ensure the integrity and safety of the food supply, and support animal agriculture and society. His research has many positive implications for both animal and human health. His work involves developing, implementing, and evaluating farm-specific disease reduction strategies for cost-effective and sustainable disease control on dairy farms.
Dr Barkema leads the Alberta-wide AMR - One Health Consortium and One Health at the University of Calgary. Both organisations use a transdisciplinary, multisectoral One Health approach. The vision of the AMR – One Health Consortium is to preserve antimicrobial effectiveness by preventing AMR, and One Health at the University of Calgary brings together to address global challenges impacting the health of people, animals, and the environment.
Dr Barkema’s future research plans include developing, implementing, and evaluating farm-specific disease reduction strategies for cost effective and sustainable disease control on dairy farms. This includes a performance-based surveillance system which will provide disease control strategies to lower the burden of endemic infectious diseases that will benefit the dairy industry in many ways for years to come.
Read more about the Plowright Prize
Congratulations to all of the award winners.