The Veterinary Nurse – now part of the UK-VET group of titles – is the leading international peer-reviewed journal for veterinary nurses. It publishes evidence-based clinical, educational and practical articles, in addition to the latest nurse-led veterinary research. It promotes gold standard care by supporting readers’ continuing professional development and by sharing best practice worldwide.
Kirby's Rule of 20 is a patient checklist including 20 parameters that should be checked daily in the critically ill patient. It reviews the established evidence-based information regarding patient checklist use in veterinary emergency and critical...
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In a welcome move, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) has just published a consensus statement providing guidance on the diagnosis, management, and treatment of the cat with cardiomyopathy. Even more encouraging is that nursing guidelines have also been included in this statement. The paper has been released as ‘open access’, so anyone can access these guidelines free of charge online. The consensus statement is important because it provides an updated classification of feline cardiomyopathies, changing emphasis to different phenotypic groups, and adds a staging system, along similar lines as the ACVIM myxomatous mitral valve disease consensus statement first published in 2009 and then updated in 2019. This article provides a summary of the key points made in the consensus statement.
Missing out one small step in a complex procedure can lead to an error. A checklist is a list of actions that can identify the small but crucial steps which may be missed out. Checklists are just one of the tools used to form a culture of continuous quality improvement (QI) in veterinary practice. QI is about understanding the level of care practices provide and implementing interventions to try to improve it. Checklists have been used in aviation and in human healthcare to reduce errors. The use of a surgical safety checklist can be very effective both in human healthcare and in veterinary practice. Checklists can be used in many other areas of practice too. They are a patient safety system, not just a piece of paper, they encourage teamwork, communication and situational awareness and can help to reduce errors.
Canine degenerative myelopathy is a progressive, debilitating condition of older, often large breed dogs, and is seen on a fairly frequent basis in practice. This article discusses the background of the condition including clinical signs to be expected at different stages in the disease process, how the condition is diagnosed, and looks at how best the condition can be managed using rehabilitation therapies with no curative treatment currently available. It also includes a case study describing a rehabilitation protocol for a patient referred for rehabilitation by the referring veterinary surgeon following diagnosis of degenerative myelopathy.
This article aims to highlight the key physiological differences in the paediatric patient in comparison to the adult and how they may impact anaesthetic management in practice from pre-operative considerations through to recovery. The critical importance of communication within the veterinary team is highlighted to ensure successful outcomes and reduce the risk of mortality. Potential complications are discussed as they are inherent to anaesthesia, however early identification and intervention can help ensure patient safety. Although paediatric and neonatal anaesthesia may be challenging, it can also be incredibly satisfying for the registered veterinary nurse (RVN) as specific nursing care needs to be provided throughout the peri-operative period to facilitate a smooth anaesthetic and recovery.
Missing out one small step in a complex procedure can lead to an error. A checklist is a list of...
Hypoglycaemia presents a genuine life-threatening emergency in the intensive care unit. Veterinary...
