Top 10 RCVS Knowledge resources of 2020

It’s been a busy year for RCVS Knowledge – we have produced more EBVM and QI resources than ever before – and we know as busy veterinary professionals, you may not have had time to take them all in. So here’s a quick rundown of some of the most used resources we published in 2020.

•   COVID-19 resources hub

A regularly updated hub of clinical evidence, advice for professionals and employers, and infection control resources related to COVID-19, from a range of sources, including mythbusting webinars and podcasts.

• QI case study: Peri-operative temperature audit 

This case example shows how Holly Warrilow RVN performed several audits over short periods to identify whether patient temperatures were being taken during the peri-operative period and to implement improvements to benefit patient care within the same period. Holly was awarded Highly Commended in the 2020 Knowledge Awards for her QI initiative (published November 2020).

•  inFOCUS in the Spotlight: Benefits and risks of neutering pets – what is the evidence?

This spotlight covers the evidence on areas of concern about the benefits and risks of neutering pets, which can be used to inform discussions with owners and to guide decision-making regarding the elective neutering of pets.

•  EBVM resource: Journal Club resources 

Resources to help practitioners come together to discuss published papers, including a guide to setting up and running a journal club, a checklist to help guide discussions and worked examples on a range of topics.

• Veterinary Evidence paper: Developments in surgical fluid therapy rates in veterinary medicine

This Knowledge Summary is the most read paper of 2020 from our peer-reviewed, open-access journal Veterinary Evidence. The summary explores the evidence behind the recommended surgical fluid therapy rates for cats and dogs. 

• Vet History highlight: 'For the Record' podcast discussion between Mandisa Greene and Amanda Boag

The first episode in a new podcast series, which aims to amplify individual voices within the profession – particularly from groups usually absent in our official archive. As the 8th and 9th female presidents of the RCVS, Amanda and Mandisa discuss what made them want to become vets, what drove them forward in their careers and why they champion diversity.

• Podcast: The Knowledge Sessions - Research in Practice – a beginner’s guide

An approachable step-by-step guide from Dr Marnie Brennan, Dr Zoe Belshaw and Hannah Doit with tips on making research in practice useful and fulfilling, with some inspiring examples.

• Webinar: How to become a QI ambassador to improve clinical standards in your practice - Lou Northway

Getting started with quality improvement in practice can be daunting if you don't know where to start, and continuous quality improvement can often seem overwhelming. In this webinar produced for BSAVA 2020, Louise Northway, RVN, discusses why quality improvement is a staple in practice, how to get started with clinical audit and what your results might indicate for patient care.  

• Veterinary Practice article: Laser therapy in canine wound management

We have a monthly column within Veterinary Practice magazine, and one of our most popular features this year considered the evidence behind low-level laser therapy for canine wound management.

• Facebook Live: Tuesday Teatime Takeover: chatting about checklists 

Knowledge Award 2020 Champions Helen Silver-MacMahon (Animal Health Trust) and Louise Northway (Wendover Heights Veterinary Centre) join RCVS Knowledge via Facebook Live to discuss the benefits of using checklists. Using common emergency procedures as examples, they provide ideas for how to adapt your checklist for use in practice (recorded 5th May 2020).

There are many more like this on our website rcvsknowledge.org, our journal watch infocusvj.org and our Veterinary Evidence journal veterinaryevidence.org.

Let us know if there are particular subjects you’d like us to cover in 2021!