Page 9 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2022

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Page 9 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2022
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Although veterinary knowledge, techniques   In recent years, VetCompass has made   epidemiological research, the VetCompass
        and technologies are rapidly evolving to   extensive use of machine-learning to   team developed a secure system for the
        improve the care that can be offered, many   make sense of the enormous amounts of   transfer of anonymised patient records from
        animals continue to suffer from disorders   data  being  recorded  in  veterinary  clinics.   veterinary practices to a central database.
        that could be reduced or avoided if breed-  VetCompass shares clinical data on over 20   VetCompass is a community that is
        related or environmental risks were better   million UK companion animals, covering over   committed to open access to all information
        understood and shared. VetCompass   200 million clinical notes and half a billion   generated from our research. VetCompass
        evidence is now a major contributor to the   individual sales and treatments – veterinary   papers are open access for free worldwide
        overall evidence base on breed-related   research is now truly into the Big Data age.   impact  and  are  readily  findable  on  the
        health in companion animals, especially   We now use machine-learning models of   VetCompass library  /
        in relation to the harms from extreme   language to identify cases for research and   vetcompass/papers-and-data/original-
        conformations such as brachycephaly.   to understand the subtle contexts in which   publications.  In  addition,  most  papers
        VetCompass evidence is promoting    veterinarians  mention diseases  without   have an accompanying infographic that
        improved animal welfare through, for   implying  that  their  patient  suffers  from  it.   summarises the major findings in an easily
        example, policy to shift ownership towards   We have also created diagnostic tools, such   digestible format and that are open access
        higher welfare dog breeds (‘Stop and   as an endocrine prediction model that can   for anyone to share  /
        think before buying a flat-faced dog’ http://  calculate the probability of future diagnosis   vetcompass/audio-visual-resources/
        www.ukbwg.org.uk/) and by contributing to   based on case notes. We have also created   research-infographics.
        evidence-based updates to Kennel Club   a tool for veterinarians which facilitates the   A free VetCompass app can be
        Breed Standards as well as to breed health   process of clinically coding patients and   downloaded to IOS or android phones
        plans at The Kennel Club.           made this available free on the internet.  that enable students to enhance their
          Launched in 2016, the 'VetCompass                                     clinical reasoning  skills  by exploring  the
        Australia' project extended the RVC’s   The critical role of the veterinary   anonymised clinical records of over 20,000
        international  vision  for  companion  animal   community               dogs from the real first opinion world https://
        health data collection for disease monitoring   Prior to VetCompass, the full potential   www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/audio-visual-
        and  surveillance.  VetCompass  Australia   for the vast wealth of animal health data   resources/virtual-vet-clinic-app.
        supports research projects at all seven   recorded and stored by veterinary practices
        Australian veterinary schools and has over   was largely untapped. This represented   References
        10 peer-reviewed publications.      a huge loss for animal welfare, where a
          VetCompass has also extended its   deficiency of good evidence was routinely   1.  Mateus, A., Brodbelt, D. C., Barber, N. and Stärk,
        research interests from dogs and cats to   cited as a major limitation to welfare   K. D. C. (2011) ‘Antimicrobial usage in dogs and
                                                                                  cats in first opinion veterinary practices in the UK’.
        also cover a wide range of exotic species,   progress. VetCompass has aimed to   Journal of Small Animal Practice, 52, 515-521.
        with  current  projects  also  exploring  the   fill these data gaps by sharing these   2.  O'Neill, D. G., Hendricks, A., Summers, J. and
        health  of  rabbits,  ferrets,  guinea  pigs,   clinical data in a de-identified format from   Brodbelt, D. C. (2012) ‘Primary care veterinary
                                                                                  usage of systemic glucocorticoids in cats and dogs
        rats, snakes and tortoises. Looking in the   veterinary practices and merging them into   in three UK practices’, Journal of Small Animal
        other  direction towards  larger  species,   a single dataset to enable research that   Practice, 53, 217-222.
        VetCompass projects are also researching   benefits pets, owners and the veterinary
        the health and care of horses and cattle.  community itself. To facilitate this data for     For small animal referrals, please call:
                                                                                     01707 666399
                                                                                      Email:
      First VetCompass equine PhD                                                    qmhreception@rvc.ac.uk
     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
                                                                                                    Summer 2022   9
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