Plus-Hex CLINICAL
Introduction
This article aims to support clinical supervisors working with student veterinary nurses( SVNs) to achieve competency within the Nursing Progress Log( NPL). It will focus on the’ Review and discuss evidencebased nursing’ skill, which can be found in Section 2( Communication) of the NPL, under 2.8 for equine students and 2.9 for small animal students.
The guidance note for this skill states:” Identify an area of practice for discussion with members of the veterinary team; Appraise literature; Consider cases in accordance with reviewed literature; Discuss and disseminate findings with [ the ] practice team”.
The skill will be broken down and an example used to show how to log it on the NPL.
What is evidence-based veterinary medicine and why is it important?
One of the main professional values promoted by RCVS Knowledge is evidence-based veterinary medicine( EBVM), defined as being able to make clinical decisions using a combination of the veterinary professional ' s own clinical experience alongside the most relevant and trusted literature available [ 1 ].
EBVM is not just applicable to veterinary surgeons; it should be used by registered veterinary nurses( RVNs) and SVNs too. EBVM can help veterinary teams make informed decisions, which can be followed by implementing quality improvement( QI) within the veterinary practice. QI is a process of constant evolution that uses a whole-team approach, whereby everybody reviews their practices and protocols on a regular basis, to consistently strive for the best patient outcomes [ 2 ].
The use of EBVM must be considered on an individual-patient basis, but the benefit of using EBVM to implement a QI process is that it has the potential to improve patient outcomes [ 1 ].
Before veterinary professionals begin to critique their own practice, it is important that they understand what is‘ best practice’, so they can make an informed decision in relation to any proposed changes.
Sackett [ 3 ] first established five points to aid in using EBVM. These have been adapted over the years, but the foundation remains the same:
1. Ask. Start with the question you want to answer.
2. Acquire. Using your question, search for the most recent and best evidence relating to it( Figure 1).
Figure 1. Suggested method for sourcing and assessing appropriate evidence.
Volume 41( 2) • April 2026
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