Veterinary charity RCVS Knowledge is pleased to announce the winners of its 2023 RCVS Knowledge Awards, which this year included a brand-new category for Antimicrobial Stewardship.
The RCVS Knowledge Awards, which have been running for five years, celebrate achievements in the veterinary professions for initiatives that use Quality Improvement methods to advance veterinary care. The awards are open to everyone working within the veterinary profession.
The 2023 Quality Improvement Champions are:
David Charles who conducted an audit across multiple UK practices to gather data on ovine lambings and caesareans, and implemented training and recommendations related to the use of analgesia, antibiotics, and adjunctive medications. The practices saw a reduction in prophylactic antibiotic use and an improvement in the provision of analgesia.
Rosemullion Veterinary Practice who conducted an audit aimed at improving infection control and cleaning methods in clinical and non-clinical areas. By updating protocols and providing training and education, the team significantly decreased the risk of environmental contamination, and their project has become an example for other practices.
Leanne McLeod who introduced a hypothermia audit that focused on pre-warming patients before general anaesthesia. By implementing new warming protocols, her team reduced the incidence of hypothermia from 100% to 16%.
The School of Veterinary Nursing at the Royal Veterinary College who incorporated Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives into their post-registration qualifications, offering resources and guidance on conducting clinical audits and group discussions on the topic. Many students have used these resources to perform audits and QI projects, which have been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.
The 2023 Antimicrobial Stewardship Champions are:
White Lodge Veterinary Surgery who conducted a prospective audit to review antibiotic use in cat bite abscesses and treated 86% of their patients successfully without antibiotics.
Rachel Forster who reduced neonatal antibiotic use by 75% by implementing the Farm Vet Champions mantra “Plan Prevent Protect” and conducting CPD sessions and client awareness meetings.
Paragon Veterinary Referrals who focused on preserving critically important antimicrobials through the establishment of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Team, the development of guidelines, and in-house CPD.
Tonia Simms who created a risk assessment and policy to reduce the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics in surgical calf castrates, which resulted in an increase in confidence and morale around antibiotic prescribing.
The 2023 RCVS Knowledge Awards also saw 12 applicants awarded as highly commended and two recognised as ‘ones to watch’ in the Quality Improvement category, while six were highly commended in the Antimicrobial Stewardship category. These applications demonstrated a range of themes, including patient safety, sustainability, client care, education, efficiency, and caregiver experience. Looking forward to 2024, RCVS Knowledge plans to expand the award categories further.
Executive Director at RCVS Knowledge, Chris Gush said, “We were pleased to receive so many high-quality applications for the RCVS Knowledge Awards this year, which is a real testament to the profession’s growing dedication to using Quality Improvement techniques and advancing veterinary care.
“At RCVS Knowledge, we’re actively expanding our work in the antimicrobial resistance field, which is an issue in both veterinary and human medicine. Through the awards, we’re delighted to recognise those who are making valuable contributions towards combatting the threat of antimicrobial resistance.
“Congratulations to all of the winners”
The 2023 RCVS Knowledge Awards and the Veterinary Evidence Student Awards will be officially presented at the Royal College Day on 7 July. Applications for the 2024 RCVS Knowledge Awards and the 2024 Veterinary Evidence Student Awards will open in July 2023.
For more details more about the winners and highly commended runners up from the 2023 RCVS Knowledge Awards, as well as previous years, you can visit the following website for more information: rcvsknowledge.org/knowledgechampions
For more information about the RCVS Knowledge Awards visit: rcvsknowledge.org/awards
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