Free course on evidence-based veterinary medicine
"The depth of information is fantastic and the links to further learning and examples were brilliant" - Leanne Reid, Senior RVN.
RCVS Knowledge has released a new free-to-access training course on evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM).
Entitled 'EBVM for Practitioners', the course is aimed at keeping veterinary professionals up-to-date with current EBVM, and has been written by an international ream of veterinary professionals and academics, designed specifically to fit around veterinary professionals' busy schedules.
EBVM for Practitioners is free to access through the RCVS Knowledge Learn platform.
Laura Haddock, lead author of EBVM for Practitioners, said: “The course has been carefully developed to factor in the needs of busy veterinary professionals. Before designing it, we held focus groups with vets and nurses working in general practice.
“They identified some of the main challenges they faced when engaging with EBVM, the most prominent being a lack of time, access to evidence, and confidence in appraisal.
“We hope the new short course will provide a practical and efficient way for practitioners to further develop their skills and confidence to incorporate more EBVM into their daily clinical practice.”
A practical understanding of the step-by-step process involved in EBVM will be provided by the course, alongside a framework to write answerable clinical questions, employ logical search strategies to find relevant research, evaluate papers found and apply findings in clinical practice.
Executive director of RCVS Knowledge, Chris Gush, commented: “EBVM is key to the delivery of modern veterinary medicine. At RCVS Knowledge, we believe evidence-based veterinary medicine reinforces the sound scientific principles of the profession and strengthens the commitment to put animal health and welfare at the forefront of all we do.
“This new course aimed at practitioners is intended as a practical, user-friendly tool to enable busy professionals to adopt a proven methodology that will, in the long run, improve outcomes for patients.”
Commenting on the merits of the course, Leanne Reid, a senior registered veterinary nurse who worked with the team to test the course, said: “This is excellent CPD and a good refresher on using EBVM in practice.
“The depth of information is fantastic and the links to further learning and examples were brilliant.
“The detailed steps on how to use EBVM is great for veterinary practices. I absolutely recommend this course to other veterinary professionals.”
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
