Evidence-based veterinary nursing can be a rewarding and effective way to improve patient care, but it can be a challenge to keep track of such a broad and fast-developing area, and to fully appreciate how its different elements knit together.
This is where RCVS Knowledge’s EBVM Learning comes in – the freshly updated online resource offers six hours of free CPD, covering the five key stages of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM), plus a fly-through of EBVM’s history.
Authored by an expanded international team, the resource can be dipped into for quick reference, or followed from start to finish to provide a solid grounding in how you can apply EBVM principles in practice.
RVNs Kay Lockwood (practice director, Riversbrook Veterinary Group), Lauren Sweeney (Golden Valley Veterinary Hospital) and Holly Warrilow (Willow Veterinary Clinic) tested the course, and explain what you can expect.
All three were extremely positive about the resource overall, stating it superseded their expectations. “It was much more detailed than expected,” said Holly. Lauren agreed: “I gained a large amount of knowledge and confidence, and it is fantastic to have so much information in one place.”
Despite the volume of information available, the RVNs found the resource user friendly. “The sections broken down really help you to understand the process,” said Holly.
Kay felt similarly: “The sections and topics were a length that could be done during a lunch break or a gap during consultations, and this is one of the things I liked most about it.
“The content is written in an approachable way so that it is accessible to all members of the veterinary team, from newly graduated vets to veterinary nurses – everything is explained in detail.”
Most useful elements?
Top of the list was the explanation of how to form a good clinical question. “I really liked the section that went through all of the different patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) question types, and what scientific studies would be best for each one,” said Lauren. “This would be something I could see myself coming back to using at several points in my career.”
Holly agreed: “The explanation of the (S)PICO is really useful, and I feel this will really help me with future auditing and getting the most useful results.”
Kay added: “The (S)PICO template is easy to follow and implement, and I look forward to using it in practice. I have done many audits and, as a team, we have made many changes over the years to improve standards, but I believe this template can help us excel.”
The literature searching section also proved a hit. “The guides on how to run searches were really useful, and will be something that will help me and my team in the future,” said Kay.
Lauren concurred: “The in-depth explanation of how to do database searches make this a really useful CPD.”
The audits section, the clinical examples of how and when to apply EBVM, and the relationship with human evidence-based medicine were also highly rated, as well as the comprehensive links to useful websites, the case examples and the quizzes offered throughout the course.
The two priorities for this version of EBVM Learning were to make the presentation inviting and technically accessible – so that as many veterinary professionals as possible could have a high-quality learning experience.
The course visuals went down well with the testers, including the diagrams, tables and flow charts. The mobile experience was also given the thumbs up. “I have an iPhone 7, so not the largest screen,” said Lauren. “It was still easy to use. Considering the amount of information you are presenting, it is remarkably phone-friendly.”
Would you recommend EBVM Learning?
“It has definitely been one of the most useful courses I have completed,” said Holly. “I will definitely be recommending it to my colleagues – both vets and VNs, including students.”
Lauren added: “It provided a very well-rounded approach to EBVM for a beginner and for someone who has used EBVM before. I would definitely recommend it to colleagues and friends from my university course.”
Kay concluded: “I believe this course is easily accessible to vets who may be new graduates all the way to vets of vast experience. I believe nurses will also have an interest, as it allows them to look at improvements on many aspects of their own roles.
“I think getting the whole team on board to challenge ideas and work towards best medicine is how a practice develops itself and becomes a better-bonded team, so a training course and platform such as this is perfect.”
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