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QI CPD

Our free CPD content offers a collection of articles, podcasts, webinars and video interviews on a range of topics from experts in the field to support veterinary professionals to deliver high-quality evidence-based care. Our resources are created with input from our Quality Improvement Advisory Board and working parties.

Our resources are able to be viewed and downloaded, and cover topics that can help you put interventions in place to help support your Quality Improvement journey.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 

In our Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Hub, you will find freely accessible evidence-based knowledge and resources about responsible antimicrobial and anti-parasiticide use, including anthelmintics, and communication and behaviour change skills to help you establish responsible antimicrobial stewardship in practice. Join the effort to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Access the resource hub.

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VetTeamAMR

VetTeamAMR is an initiative that champions the responsible use of antimicrobials within companion animal, farm animal, and equine veterinary teams. This major collaborative project, kindly sponsored by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, brings together a cross-industry consortium to use and create the evidence base to support continuous improvements at the point of care. This project includes:

VetTeamAMR Education

Consisting of over 40 hours of free CPD, hosted on the RCVS Knowledge Learn Platform, our dedicated free online learning portal, these courses are designed to be easily accessible and you can pick what you want to read, watch or listen to, working through modules at your own pace.  This link will open in a new window and requires registration.

Farm Vet Champions (FVC) is a major collaborative project, spearheaded by RCVS Knowledge to empower the veterinary community in a united front to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Together with UK specialised veterinary and agricultural organisations, we are building a community of Farm Vet Champions, each with direct access to our free online learning platform, to establish a concerted approach towards good antimicrobial stewardship in practices and on farms.

The free-to-access modules promote three main values, Plan, Prevent, Protect, and cover:

  • Technical species-specific modules.
  • Vet-farmer communication skills and behavioural change principles.
  • The legal use of veterinary medicines, policies, and One Health aspects of antibiotic prescribing and stewardship.

Access the course.

Companion Animal and Equine is bought to you in collaboration with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), this course is designed to help you refresh your knowledge in areas of antimicrobial use in companion animal and equine veterinary medicine to support you in improving your antimicrobial stewardship.

The free-to-access modules cover:

  • Technical species and presenting condition specific modules.
  • Client-veterinary team communication skills and behavioural change principles.
  • The legal use of veterinary medicines, policies, and one health aspects of antibiotic prescribing and stewardship in small animals, equines and exotic species.

Access the course.

Antimicrobial Audit Tool for Equine Teams is a free-to-use audit tool supports case-by-case reflection for patients receiving antimicrobials, and helps teams to gather data to make evidence-based decisions for their patients, as well as looking at wider practice use. Clients can be invited to report on treatment outcomes, allowing teams to see how antimicrobial prescriptions can be improved for specific clinical presentations, allowing for consistent analysis and prospective planning for improvements in antimicrobial prescribing behaviours.

Access the Audit Tool.

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Infection Control and Biosecurity

This webinar series provides guidance on different aspects of infection control. Aimed at veterinary professionals, the series will help you to improve your infection control and biosecurity practices, helping you instigate responsible antimicrobial use. The series contains five webinars that cover:

Part 1: Infection Control and Biosecurity During Covid-19 (CPD: 60 minutes)

Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, this webinar introduces biosecurity as a whole to get your team thinking about how this relates to practice.

Part 2: Organisms of Concern and Modes of Transmission (CPD: 60 minutes)

Understanding the organisms that can be found in practice, their modes of transport and potential fomite risks can help your team put processes in place to help prevent disease. This webinar will set the foundations for understating infections within the practice – essential for effective infection control and patient care. 

Part 3: Policies and Procedures in Routine Practice (CPD: 70 minutes)

The patient’s journey through practice can cover numerous areas, so how can you protect patients, clients, and the team? This webinar introduces how to implement infection control policies and procedures in practice and provides practical guidance on creating an infection control group within the practice; how to develop a biosecurity policy; and areas in practice that need consideration. 

Part 4: Disinfectant Types (CPD: 30 minutes)

This webinar is ideal for everyone working in practice, helping you understand the differing disinfectant types, how they work and what they should be used on. Including relevant terminology, the action of disinfectant, active ingredients and how to choose the most appropriate one, a must for anyone producing or updating infection control procedures. 

Part 5: Auditing Infection Control (CPD: 60 minutes)

Once you have your infection control guidelines in place, how do you know if they are helping to improve your patient, client, and practice team’s safety? Auditing infection control will help you understand how an audit can be useful in infection control with examples on how to audit your cleaning protocols, hand hygiene and post-operative complications.

Infection Control Supporting Resources.

These resources have kindly been shared as examples of how other practices and organisations are applying infection control in their workplace. Our recommendation is for practice teams to work together to create evidence-based guidelines that are applicable to their circumstances and to apply them by also taking into consideration clinical expertise and judgement along with patient’s circumstances and owners’ values. 

Infection Control Further Reading.

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Leadership and Teamwork

What Matters to you? An Antidote to Burnout (CPD: 45 minutes)

With more demanding priorities to deliver the best possible care whilst dealing with the consequences of COVID-19 and Brexit, it's no wonder that veterinary professionals are concerned with stress and burnout within the profession.

Human healthcare has seen similar challenges and various teams around the world have been using the 'Joy in work' framework to battle burnout and stay fulfilled professionally. Angie and her team have been trialling this framework in veterinary settings, learning which steps help connect veterinary teams in meaning and purpose, with the aim of improving satisfaction and even feeling a buzz from their work. They have seen that it is not only possible, it can be a fundamental step to ensuring continued excellence in patient care and client experiences, even in these challenging times.

This session was recorded during the SPVS VMG Congress on the 13th May 2022. *Please note, there is a short pause in the presentation at 15:24 while the sound technician fixes some feedback and Mark Moreton's microphone level*

Leading positive change in practice (CPD: 30 minutes)

Getting the whole team on board is often harder than it seems. In this webinar recorded as part of BVNA's This is Us online event, we discuss how to introduce new concepts and changes to your team in a way that will encourage uptake, and what to do if others in your team don’t share the same passion for change. 

      • Listen to the podcast recording

The power of a growth mindset: why certain habits of mind matter in clinical improvement (CPD: 35 minutes)

How importance are superpowers within our clinical settings?

These superpowers are also described as a growth mindset, and Professor of Learning, Bill Lucas discusses some key steps to help develop this mindset into an everyday habit, giving you and your team the skills and capabilities to start making improvements that will really make a difference. This webinar 'The power of a growth mindset: why certain habits of mind matter in clinical improvement’ was an RCVS Knowledge sponsored session at the SPVS-VMG Focus on Leadership and Management Virtual Summit held on 1st December 2020.

      • Listen to the podcast recording

Restoring the Joy Dealing with post-Covid-19 burnout (CPD: 45 minutes)

Jesse McCall, who co-leads the Joy in Work Results-Oriented Learning Network at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement - IHI, discusses the factors that diminish joy in work, and practical steps that teams can take to work together to nurture their workforce and address the issues that drive burnout and sap joy in work, particularly during and after COVID-19. 

This webinar 'Restoring the Joy: Dealing with post-Covid-19 burnout' was an RCVS Knowledge sponsored session at the SPVS-VMG Congress held on the 13th & 14th of May 2021. 

      • Listen to the podcast recording

Quality Improvement (QI): Too important to be left to just the vets! (CPD: 45 minutes)

Pam Mosedale, QI Clinical Lead, explores the role of practice managers, nurses and the reception team in ensuring quality improvement is properly understood and embedded throughout the whole practice team.  

This webinar 'Quality Improvement (QI): Too important to be left to just the vets!' was an RCVS Knowledge sponsored session at the SPVS-VMG Congress held on the 13th & 14th of May 2021. 

How to become a quality improvement ambassador to improve clinical standards in your practice (CPD: 45 minutes) 

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.  
 
Based on practical examples, including Lou's award-winning small animal neutering audit, find out how to use evidence to improve standards of care, and how QI can help promote a just culture.

Featuring:
Louise Northway VNCertECC NCert(Anaesth) RVN

      • Listen to the podcast recording

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Managing Veterinary Medicines: Staying Legal and Promoting Safety

Brought to you in collaboration with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the Managing Veterinary Medicines course is freely available to everyone in the veterinary professions.

With six-hours free CPD, Managing Veterinary Medicines provides knowledge on safe and responsible use of veterinary medicines and medicine regulations, and includes a broad range of webinars, podcasts and articles. By taking this course, you will learn how to put systems in place that will reduce errors, improve patient outcomes and improve practice systems. The learning will also prepare practices for a VMD inspection or an RCVS Practice Standards Scheme assessment. 

Managing Veterinary Medicines is hosted on the RCVS Knowledge Learn Platform, our dedicated free online learning portal. Courses are designed to be easily accessible and you can pick what you want to read, watch or listen to, working through modules at your own pace.  This link will open in a new window and requires registration.

Access the course.

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Management of Feline Chronic Kidney Disease webinar (CPD: 90 minutes)

CKD is a common diagnosis, especially in elderly cats, and results in shortened lifespan and reduced quality of life due to weight loss, variable/poor appetite, vomiting, polyuria and polydipsia. A successful outcome depends on an individualized approach, which is developed with the involvement of the cat’s owner. Monitoring visits are very important to ensure that owners are supported and that clinical problems are identified and treated promptly.

Introducing new concepts and best practice into a busy clinic can be challenging. This webinar discusses the best available treatment for CKD and how getting the team involved in the development of practice specific clinical guidelines can drive the standard of medicine at which we practice.

Featuring: -

Paul Pollard MVB Cert AVP(VC) Pg Dip Vet Ed FHEA MRCVS: RCVS Knowledge Quality Improvement Advisor.

Dr Sarah Caney BVSc PhD DSAM(Feline) MRCVS: CEO of Vet Professionals.

Feline Chronic Kidney Disease Further Reading

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National Audit for Small Animal Neutering (NASAN) Resource Hub

The National Audit for Small Animal Neutering (NASAN) is a free audit allowing veterinary teams to measure post-operative complication rates for the neutering of dogs, cats and rabbits.

In the NASAN Resource Hub we have compiled evidence, resources and case-examples from the profession to help you in your journey to improve your post-operative neutering outcomes. 

Access the resource hub.

 

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NASAN Auditing Post-operative Complications

  • Auditing post-operative complications, from post-op gross to post-op great (CPD: 20 minutes)

Post-op complications happen - from suture reactions and seromas, to wound breakdowns and sudden handfuls of small intestines. How do you reduce the patients’ complication risk if you don’t know what’s causing it?

Guiding you through the audit process, this session will give you ideas on how to audit post-operative complications, and what to do with your results to help improve patient care. This webinar was recorded by Amelia Poole DipAVN(SA) DipFB CertFN CertVN(ECC) RVN, for BVNA Congress 2020. Viewer discretion is advised as the webinar contains surgical content.

Access the resource hub.

 

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QI Boxset

The QI Boxset is an educational series that supports veterinary teams in implementing Quality Improvement (QI) into practice. Each free-to-access Series covers a different QI Technique, helping you learn through podcasts, webinars, additional reading, guides, and templates. 

The QI Boxset is hosted on the RCVS Knowledge Learn Platform, our dedicated free online learning portal. Courses are designed to be easily accessible and you can pick what you want to read, watch or listen to, working through modules at your own pace.  This link will open in a new window and requires registration.

  • Series 1: Establishing a Quality Improvement structure in practice covers how clinical governance, the RCVS Code of Conduct and the RCVS Practice Standard Scheme fit together, how veterinary teams can get started with Quality Improvement, and ways to improve communication in practice.
  • Series 2: Clinical Audit explains the concept of clinical audit and why it is beneficial to teams, clients, and animals. You will learn how to carry out audits and how the science of improvement helps to plan and measure QI projects for sustained improvements. This series also hosts a library of real-life case examples of how others have implemented QI in their setting to help inspire you on your audit journey.
  • Series 3: Benchmarking will show you the importance of benchmarking, and how it can be used to interpret your audit results. This series links to freely available benchmarking tools and how your teams can get involved.
  • Series 4: Guidelines. In this series, you will learn where and how to find the evidence you need to develop your own practice guidelines, as well as provide a range of published evidence and case examples of how other practices have developed their guidelines.
  • Series 5: Using QI tools for patient safety - Checklists and more will introduce you to checklists, where you will learn why they are important to help improve patient safety, how they can benefit communication and teamwork within your setting, and how to structure your own checklists to fit your practice circumstances.   
  • Series 6: Learning from everything - Significant Event Audit and root cause analysis will show you how to use QI tools to investigate an event to identify what went wrong, as well as what went well. By delving deeper into the root causes, we can identify what areas could be improved, and how to put steps in place to avoid errors reoccurring. 
  • Series 7: Patient safety - Introduction to Human Factors and Systems Thinking will show you how adopting a Human Factors and Systems Thinking approach in clinical practice can optimise team well-being and patient safety. This series also covers the non-technical skills needed for safer care and details the tools you can use to develop these skills. 

We are constantly updating the QI Boxset with new series and updating existing episodes with new relevant resources. To be the first to know when new content is released, sign up to our regular newsletter, intheKNOW. 

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Other Current Tools and Resources

In addition to our free online CPD content, RCVS Knowledge provides veterinary teams with free tools and resources, including guides and templates to put steps in place to improve quality of care. 

Teams are encouraged to use the resources, but please keep our branding on the resources and acknowledge that they are provided by RCVS Knowledge.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes and does not override the responsibility of the practitioner. Informed decisions should be made by considering such factors as the current evidence base, individual clinical expertise and judgement along with patient’s circumstances and owners’ values. While RCVS Knowledge believes that all content herein is in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication, they accept no legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, and make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained within.

If you would like to speak with us about our CPD content, or to suggest materials for inclusion on this page, please get in touch at [email protected]

To be the first to know when new content is released, sign up to our regular newsletter, intheKNOW. 

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