10-year review maps how vets use BestBETs for Vets

A new 10-year review of the BestBETs for Vets database offers a snapshot of what veterinary professionals have been looking for in evidence-based clinical resources, and how they’ve been using them. The study, published in Veterinary Record Open, analyzed 96 critically appraised topics, or CATs, and paired that with Google Analytics data from the BestBETs for Vets website. Dogs accounted for the largest share of CATs at 37 of 96 entries, reproduction was the most common topic area at 18.8%, and users from more than 190 countries accessed the site. Most traffic came through direct access rather than organic search, suggesting repeat or intentional use by people already familiar with the resource. (researchgate.net)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the findings highlight both the value and the limits of point-of-care evidence tools. BestBETs for Vets was launched by the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine in 2013 as a free resource designed to answer focused clinical questions using the best available evidence. CATs are meant to be faster and more practical than full systematic reviews, especially in areas where the evidence base is thin, and they can support day-to-day decision-making when time is short. The new review also gives a useful signal about unmet demand: which species, clinical topics, and intervention questions clinicians are actively seeking evidence on, and where future evidence summaries may be most useful. (exchange.nottingham.ac.uk)

What to watch: Expect the findings to inform which new CATs get prioritized next, and potentially how evidence resources are updated, promoted, and integrated into clinical workflows. (researchgate.net)