Guidelines

Our free resources will introduce you to different QI techniques, and help you understand the processes you can put in place to help improve outcomes.

Guidelines CPD Course (CPD: 20 minutes)

Tools to assist in creating guidelines

• Guidelines Walkthrough (CPD: 2 minutes)

A handy infographic that explains the process of creating local practice guidelines. Ideal to print! [PDF 168KB] (Updated July 2022).

• Guidelines template

You can use this template to structure your own practice guidelines. Once downloaded, please 'save as' and reopen from your saved location [Word 53KB] (Updated August 2022).

• Example of how to find the evidence for your practice using the guideline template

We have created an example of how to find and use evidence with our template to structure your own practice guidelines. Based on creating guidelines for feline hypertension in practice, this example will show you how to use evidence and go through, step by step, the points you should consider. [PDF 188KB] (Updated July 2022)

• What matters to you - Conversation guide for leaders.

Adapted from the original IHI framework, this resource is intended to support leaders within the veterinary sector in introducing the Joy in Work concept to their teams. The conversation guide will support you in setting up initial and continuing conversations with your team to identify any workplace frustrations, or ‘pebbles in your shoes’, and to engage and empower the team to identify potential solutions. [PDF 374KB] (Published February 2022)

• Conversation guide for discussing contextualised care.

Contextualised care is an approach to cases which takes into consideration factors such as the animals circumstances and owner values. The ability to have a conversation around a challenging decision can help to evaluate such cases, reducing stress for veterinary teams and facilitate communication with owners. This conversation guide is to help the veterinary team identify any areas of support that the pet owner may require when diagnosing and treating their pet. [Word 53KB] (Published October 2022)

• Quality Improvement discussion guide poster.

Use this poster to display your Quality Improvement projects, plan further projects and track their progress. You can use this poster as a focal point for your Quality Improvement discussions. This poster is designed to be professionally printed, and laminated, on A2 paper. [PDF 61KB] (Updated June 2024)

To order your professionally printed and laminated A2 discussion guide, copy and paste the URL into your internet browser or visit https://www.serviceprint.net/product/qi-discussion-guides/

• Clinical Governance Policy

This document included examples of Quality Improvement principles and tools which can be implemented within your practice to form your clinical governance plan. You should adapt this for your own practice, or local circumstances. Once downloaded, please 'save as' and reopen from your saved location [Word Doc 174KB] (Published July 2021).

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Published guidelines

This list of published guidelines can be used to signpost you to clinical guidelines that may be of use. These guidelines are available online and have been selected because they have been created by experts in the relevant field and are based on published evidence.

Small animal

• AAFP feline anesthesia guidelines (July 2018). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• AAFP Guidelines on various feline conditions and welfare.
• AAHA/ AAFP feline vaccination guidelines (August 2020). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here. 
• AAHA/AAFP feline life stage guidelines (February 2021). An inFOCUS summary of the guidelines is available here. 
• AAHA: Guidelines on various topics from the American Animal Hospital Association.
• ACVIM consensus statement guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and management of cardiomyopathies in cats (May 2020). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here. 
• ACVIM consensus statement on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis in dogs (June 2019). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here. 

• ACVIM consensus statement on the treatment of immune‐mediated haemolytic anemia in dogs (June 2019). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here. 

• ACVIM consensus statement on the diagnosis of immune‐mediated hemolytic anaemia in dogs and cats (February 2019).
• ACVIM consensus statement guidelines for the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and monitoring of pulmonary hypertension in dogs (February 2020).
• ACIVM consensus statement on pancreatitis in cats (March 2021)
• ACVIM consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs (April 2019).
• ACVIM consensus statement: Guidelines for the identification, evaluation, and management of systemic hypertension in dogs and cats (October 2018).
• ACVIM consensus statement: Support for rational administration of gastrointestinal protectants to dogs and cats (October 2018).
• ACVIM small animal consensus statement on seizure management in dogs (February 2016).
• ACVIM small animal consensus recommendations on the treatment and prevention of uroliths in dogs and cats (September 2016).
• BSAVA/SAMSoc Guide to responsible use of antibacterials: PROTECT ME (November 2018).
• Haemoplasmosis in cats: European guidelines from the ABCD on prevention and management (Subscription required) (March 2018). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• International Renal Interest Society (IRIS): Guidelines on the staging of chronic kidney disease [PDF 593KB] (Updated 2019). 
• International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Treatment recommendations for chronic kidney disease [PDF 926KB] (Updated 2019).
• International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) Grading of acute kidney injury (updated 2016).
• ISFM consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of hypertension in cats (March 2017). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• ISFM consensus guidelines on the management of acute pain in cats (December 2021)
• International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases (ISCAID) guidelines for the diagnosis and management of bacterial urinary tract infections in dogs and cats (Subscription required) (May 2019). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• Recommendations for approaches to meticillin-resistant staphylococcal infections of small animals: diagnosis, therapeutic considerations and preventative measures. Clinical consensus guidelines of the World Association for Veterinary Dermatology (June 2017). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• WSAVA global animal welfare guidelines (2018).
• WSAVA global dental guidelines (October 2017). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• WSAVA gastrointestinal guidelines (2010).
• WSAVA global nutrition guidelines (2011).
• WSAVA guidelines for recognition, assessment and treatment of pain (2014). 
• WSAVA vaccination guidelines (2016).

Equine

• BEVA primary care clinical guidelines: Analgesia (Subscription required) (October, 2019). An inFOCUS summary of the guideline is available here.
• Borrelia burgdorferi infection and lyme disease in North American horses: A consensus statement (February 2018).
• European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement- Equine gastric ulcer syndrome in adult horses (September 2015).
• European College of Equine Internal Medicine consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome (February 2019).
• Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis: An updated consensus statement with a focus on parasite biology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention (February 2016). 

Farm animal

• Bovine viral diarrhoea virus: An updated American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement with focus on virus biology, hosts, immunosuppression, and vaccination (July 2020)
• Management of Coxiella burnetii infection in livestock populations and the associated zoonotic risk: A consensus statement (August 2018).
• Mycoplasma bovis infections in cattle (July 2011).
• RUMA: Antimicrobial use for cattle by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (May 2015).
• RUMA: Antimicrobial use for sheep by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (June 2019).
• RUMA: Antimicrobial use for pig production by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (September 2018).
• SVS: Responsible use of antimicrobials by the Sheep Veterinary Society (July 2017).

Poultry

• RUMA: Antimicrobial use for poultry and game production by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (June 2018).

Fish

• RUMA: Antimicrobial use for fish production by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (July 2007).

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Example guidelines

Guideline Case Examples