Page 8 - Clinical Connections - Summer 2022

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
8 Summer 2022