The basis of Evidence based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM) is clinicians using good quality science to make the best decisions about their patients to benefit their health and welfare. To be able to do this the veterinary profession needs high quality, relevant science made readily available. 

There are five steps to Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine, the “Five As”:

1. Ask – This step is about identifying the right questions the veterinary surgeons need answers to.
2. Acquire – This step is about obtaining evidence on the subject of interest. This involves systematic searching for existing literature, and where there is no evidence, undertaking new studies to answer question of interest.
3. Appraise – This step involves appraising the literature for quality and sources of bias that may affect the believability of the results.
4. Apply – This step involves applying the evidence to practice, where appropriate.
5. Audit – This step is all about assessing whether the application of the new evidence has affected the outcome of interest.

[Adapted from: Heneghan C, Badenoch D (2006). Evidence-based Medicine Toolkit, 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishing.] 

If you have a clinically appraised topic to share, we welcome your contributions.

For further information of how to produce a clinically appraised topic then please refer to the RCVS knowledge site and the Centre of Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine (CEBVM).