Two top fives: the launches and resources you used the most in 2023

Everything we do at RCVS Knowledge aims to help you advance the quality of care in veterinary practice. However, we know that you’re busy and can’t be across everything we work on. So, to mark the end of the year, we’re highlighting our most popular new releases and the resources most used by you and your colleagues throughout 2023. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone across the veterinary professions who helped us make this work possible, for the benefit of the professions and all animals in their care.  

Top 5 new releases of 2023 

We’re always looking to improve what we offer to the professions, and 2023 was no different. Whether you’re a surgeon, a nurse, or any member of the veterinary team, there’ll be something here that’s designed to help you improve care. 
 
Your data fed into our groundbreaking RCVS Knowledge Canine Cruciate Registry 
 
You and your peers used the free registry to understand how your surgical treatment of canine cruciate ligament rupture compared to others’. By contributing data, you have also helped to build a national picture that will continue to build new evidence for the profession to improve surgical outcomes for the benefit of dogs suffering with cruciate rupture. 
 
See how you compare, or sign up and start taking part

Your peers attended our in-person Quality Improvement day  
 
Some of you attended our first ever Quality Improvement event, QI in a Day, in Derby. The event featured interactive sessions filled with practical content from QI experts Pam Mosedale, Lou Northway, and Helen Silver-MacMahon. Missed out on tickets this time? Don’t worry – we’ve organised the next event on the 18 April 2024 in Bedford. Don’t leave it too late to book though, the last event sold out within a month.  
 
Book your tickets today

Our improved learning platform helped you access hundreds of hours of CPD 
 
Thousands of you used our improved Learn platform to access hundreds of hours of free CPD content developed by leading experts, covering topics such as responsible use of antimicrobials, Quality Improvement, medicines management, and evidence-based veterinary medicine. 
 
Check out the catalogue and start planning your CPD for 2024

You used our Veterinary Evidence journal to ask and answer your clinical queries 
 
Eighty four clinical queries were submitted via our journal’s new and improved website in 2023. Twenty-five of these were answered by the veterinary community in the form of Knowledge Summaries. Do you have a burning question that you’d like us to check the evidence for in 2024? Or perhaps you’d like to find an answer based on a question one of your peers have asked? 
 
Submit or answer a clinical query in 2024

You helped to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 
   
You and your peers showed a real appetite for antimicrobial stewardship by using our newly launched VetTeamAMR resources. This suite of free audit tools and free CPD have been created by experts in the field to help you cut down unnecessary antibiotic use and curb the threat of AMR. 
 
Become a leader in responsible antimicrobial use 

Most popular resources of 2023 

Throughout 2023 we have been heartened by the amount of enthusiasm there is for evidence-based veterinary medicine among the professions and wanted to share the most popular resources from the past 12 months.   
 
Thousands of you accessed our Library resources 
 
As ever, our Library resources were extremely popular – with thousands of you accessing them throughout the year. Many of you became members and were able to access over 100 veterinary journals at a subsidised rate. Whether you are studying for a Certificate or a post graduate qualification, are a new graduate, or  you just need information fast, membership of the Library gives quick and easy access to a wide range of quality resources including full text electronic journals,  access to the VetMed Resource bibliographic database and support from our team of information specialists. 
 
Join your peers and sign up to the Library

Your passion for Quality Improvement was evident 
 
At least 96% of you agree that Quality Improvement improves veterinary care, so it’s little surprise that so many of you engaged with our resources in 2023. You and your peers accessed our Quality Improvement resources over and over again throughout the year, from our blogs on human factors, patient safety and associated topics, to our Surgical Safety Checklist Manuals and Root Cause Analysis tools. No matter what your level of expertise, or your job title, our resources are designed to help anyone make their first steps into Quality Improvement. 
 
Get support on your next QI project

You brushed up on your clinical auditing skills 
 
While there was an overarching interest in all things Quality Improvement, we noticed a particular interest in Clinical Audit. Whether you’re a seasoned clinical auditor or a new to it, plenty of you brushed up on your skills and made the most of our step-by-step guides, templates, posters, audit platforms, and real examples from across the professions. If you haven’t joined your peers in using them already, take a look now. 
 
Make a start on your next clinical audit
 
You learned about the history of the professions 
 
Did you know that the veterinary profession has its earliest known roots in Ancient Mesopotamia? You probably did if you were one of the thousands of users who looked at our summary of 5,000 years of veterinary history. This is one example of how we log and track our evolving professions. By charting the progression through the centuries, we provide essential insights for the professions’ future. 
 
Uncover thousands of years of history

You learned how to apply research in practice with our EBVM Toolkit 

Many of you made a first step into answering your clinical queries by accessing our EBVM Toolkit. This collection of resources aims to help you ask answerable clinical questions, find the best evidence to help you answer that question, and critically appraise the evidence for validity. 
 
Start applying research in practice