Page 8 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2022

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Page 8 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2022
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RVC RESEARCH    STUDY    VETERINARY SERVICES       RVC.AC.UK
         Epidemiology
        VETCOMPASS – A NEW DIRECTION IN
        VETERINARY EVIDENCE


        Dan O'Neill, Dave Brodbelt, Noel Kennedy and David Church, key figures in the RVC’s VetCompass
        programme, discuss critical milestones since the initiative was launched 15 years ago – and the value
        of the wider veterinary community in these developments.


              etCompass (Veterinary Companion   of animals.                     join this welfare work and to share their
              Animal Surveillance System) was   VetCompass  is  a  widely  collaborative   hard-earned veterinary insights caring for
        V conceived at the RVC in 2007      project that works alongside other veterinary,   individual animals to help revolutionise our
        with an aspirational aim of harnessing   welfare and policy communities to provide   understanding of companion animal health
        anonymised electronic veterinary clinical   a robust evidence base that collectively   at a population level.
        records to generate robust clinical evidence   contributes to improved decision-making on   Since those early days, VetCompass
        that would be generalisable to the wider   animal health issues at a population level.   has rapidly expanded and now covers
        population of animals. And this concept is   VetCompass contributes to the routine   over 20 million animals across all species
        now being brought into reality to improve   evidence base that veterinarians use in   from more than 1,800 UK participating
        companion animal health and welfare.   practice every day to support and improve   veterinary practices – around a third of all
          With  the  collaboration  of  veterinary   the health and welfare of their patients. To   UK practices. Epidemiological projects have
        teams in practices and practice groups right   date VetCompass has published over 100   spanned conditions as diverse as epilepsy,
        across the UK, as well as internationally,   peer-reviewed papers covering diverse   cancer, skin disease, endocrinopathies
        VetCompass has expanded in scope and   companion animal species and topics, with   and heart disease, as well as describing
        achievement to shed light on an increasingly   many more in progress.   overall disorder prevalence and longevity in
        wide  range  of  research  and  welfare                                 different breeds and species.
        questions.  This evidence has contributed   Origins and expansion        In addition to sharing results with veterinary
        to our shared human understanding of the   The VetCompass concept was born as   colleagues via peer reviewed journals and
        causes and solutions to health problems   a pilot project running from 2007 to 2010   at national and international conferences,
        and risks affecting millions of animals.   that included data on dogs from seven   the VetCompass team works hard to share
          VetCompass  is  a  not-for-profit  research   veterinary practices in the UK. Information   insights with the wider public to inform
        programme, owned and coordinated by the   gathered at that point was used to report   better decision-making when choosing and
        RVC. It draws on anonymised data shared   on antibiotic and glucocorticoid use in small   caring  for  their  own  pets,  and  to  promote
        by veterinary practices across the UK and   animal practice (Mateus et al., 2011, O'Neill   wider understanding of disease risks. This
        beyond. VetCompass research contributes   et al., 2012). Building on this early learning,   wider sharing includes  infographics that
        to a diverse range of undergraduate, MSc,   the full VetCompass project commenced   summarise the core messages from new
        PhD  and  other  research  projects  both  at   in October 2010 with an invitation for any   studies, as well as wide press messaging
        the RVC and at many other institutions that   UK practice to join. And UK practices   that routinely includes TV, newspapers and
        aim to reveal novel insights into the health   responded in their droves, with offers to   online sharing.


                                                                                                                             First VetCompass equine PhD
                                                                                                                            study commenced, VetCompass
                                                                                                                                online research platform
                                                                                             Surpassed 100 vet clinics      launched, and collaboration with      Surpassed 1,000 vet
                            First VEctAR MSc                  First VetCompass                and one million animals         Kennel Club Charitable Trust        clinics and 10 million               VetCompass
                                awarded                         MSc awarded                      in VetCompass                      commences                    animals in VetCompass               Singapore initiated





            2007                              2010                              2012                              2014                              2016                             2019                              2022





                             2009                              2011                              2013                              2015                             2017                              2021








          Pilot project (VEctAR)         VetCompass launched with           First VetCompass peer-             First VetCompass PhDs             VetCompass Australia            50th peer-reviewed paper            100th peer-reviewed
               launched                    RPSCA-supported PhD              reviewed paper published          awarded, and 10th peer-                 initiated                published and first VetCompass         paper published
                                                                                                              reviewed paper published                                          cattle PhD study commenced
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