Evidence collection20 April 2022

Reducing errors in veterinary practice

Evidence-based veterinary medicineQuality improvement

Introduction

No one wants to make a mistake, and as veterinary professionals we are all aware that our mistakes can have serious consequences, not only for the animal and owner but also for members of the veterinary team. It is therefore important to take all the steps we can to minimise errors and learn from any errors or adverse events that occur.

A recent paper, published in the Veterinary Record looked at the role of communication problems in cases of alleged professional negligence reported to the Veterinary Defence Society.

Russell, E. et al (2021) Uncovering the ‘messy details’ of veterinary communication: An analysis of communication problems in cases of alleged professional negligence. Veterinary Record. 190 (3), p. e1068 https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1068. The February 2022 edition of journal watch contains a summary of this paper.

The study highlights the role that communication problems can have on patient outcomes and complaints. It also shows that communication needs to be considered not only in the context of the vet-client consultation but in the broader context of veterinary care and the wider practice team.

As this is such an important subject, we have created this evidence collection to bring together published research relating to the causes and effects of error in practice and resources relating to some of the steps that we can take to reduce the risk of error occurring in veterinary practice. We have also included references that look at errors and reducing errors in specific areas of veterinary practice such as anaesthesia and surgery and the use of checklists in these areas to improve communication and reduce errors.

Errors and adverse events

While not all adverse events are caused by human error it is helpful to start by looking at the literature relating to mistakes and adverse events and the effects that they can have.

Larson, M. et al. (2025) Patient safety events cause harm across a variety of veterinary care settings: a global retrospective analysis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.24.08.0523
Giles, G. et al. (2025) Categorising reported errors and incidents from morbidity and mortality meetings (M&Ms) in a small animal multi‐specialty veterinary teaching hospital. Australian Veterinary Journal, 103 (5), pp. 267-275. https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.13426
Low, R and Wu, A.W. (2022) Veterinary healthcare needs to talk more about error: For the wellbeing of our patients and medical teams. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 36 (6), pp. 2199-2202. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16554
Schortz, L. et al. (2022) Type and impact of clinical incidents identified by a voluntary reporting system covering 130 small animal practices in mainland Europe. Veterinary Record, p. e1629. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1629
Alexander-Leeder, C.A. et al. (2022) Medical errors: experiences, attitudes and perspectives of incoming and outgoing final-year veterinary students in the USA. Veterinary Record, p. e1735. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1735
Mellanby, R.J. and Herrtage, M.E. (2004) Survey of mistakes made by recent veterinary graduates. Veterinary Record, 155 (24), pp. 761-765. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.155.24.761
Oxtoby, C. et al. (2015) We need to talk about error: causes and types of error in veterinary practice. Veterinary Record, 177 (17), pp. 438-438. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103331
Wallis, J. et al. (2019) Medical errors cause harm in veterinary hospitals. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, p. 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00012
Russell, E. et al. (2021) Uncovering the ‘messy details’ of veterinary communication: An analysis of communication problems in cases of alleged professional negligence. Veterinary Record, 190 (3) p. e1068. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1068
Gibson, J. et al. (2022) ‘We’re gonna end up scared to do anything’: A qualitative exploration of how client complaints are experienced by UK veterinary practitioners. Veterinary Record, p. e1737. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1737
Kogan, L.R. et al. ( 2018) Veterinarians’ experiences with near misses and adverse events. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 252 (5), pp. 586-595. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.252.5.586
White, S.C. (2018) Veterinarians’ emotional reactions and coping strategies for adverse events in spay-neuter surgical practice. Anthrozoös, 31 (1), pp. 117-131. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2018.1406205
Turner, M. (2016) Mistakes, errors and foul-ups: Practice-based evidence for evidence based practice [podcast]. Veterinary Evidence, 1 (4). https://doi.org/10.18849/VE.V1I4.69
Blackie, K. (2022) Learning from patient safety event reporting in veterinary practice. Veterinary Record, 191 (2), pp. 71-73. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.2053
Boissevain, I.E. et al. (2022) 15 years of facts and figures on veterinary disciplinary measures in the Netherlands. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.987797

For an example of how to deal with an error in practice you may be interested in

Silver Mac-Mahon, H. (2021) When it all goes wrong: the importance of debrief [RCVS Knowledge. QI Features] [online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/features/when-it-all-goes-wrong-the-importance-of-debrief/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Patient safety – improving patient outcomes

We are used to thinking of outcomes in terms of response to treatment, but it is also important to think about the impact that the delivery of treatment can have on patient outcomes through developing systems that protect patient safety.

Oxtoby, C. (2014) Patient safety: the elephant in the room (editorial). Journal of Small Animal Practice, 55 (8), pp. 389-390. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12252
Tivers, M. (2015) Reducing error and improving patient safety. Veterinary Record, 177 (17), pp. 436-437. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h5653
Armitage-Chan, E.A. (2014) Human factors, non-technical skills, professionalism and flight safety: their roles in improving patient outcome. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 41 (3), pp. 221-223. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12126
Oxtoby, C. et al. (2017) Safety culture: the Nottingham veterinary safety culture survey (NVSCS). Veterinary Record, 180 (19), p. 472. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.104215
Perrin, H.C. (2017) Improving safety through changes to the practice culture (editorial). Veterinary Record, 180 (19), pp. 470-471. https://org/10.1136/vr.j2195
Hayes, G.M. et al. (2020) A multicenter observational study investigating care errors, staffing levels, and workload in small animal intensive care units. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, 30 (5), pp. 517-524. https://doi.org/10.1111/vec.12991
Love, L.C. et al. (2021) Assessment of safety culture at a veterinary teaching hospital in the United States. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, no. 638764. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389%2Ffvets.2021.638764
Davidow, B. (2021) Communicating patient quality and safety in your hospital. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 51 (5), pp. 1111-1123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2021.04.019

For an example of how non-technical skills can help us improve patient safety in practice you may be interested in

Rayner, A. (2021) What do patient safety and buckets have in common? An introduction to non-technical skills [RCVS Knowledge. QI Features] [online] Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/features/what-do-patient-safety-and-buckets-have-in-common/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Teamwork – working together to reduce mistakes

Everybody makes mistakes, but by building a strong team we can minimise the risk of individuals making mistakes and that impact on patient care.

Weller, J., Boyd, M. and Cumin, D. (2014) Teams, tribes and patient safety: overcoming barriers to effective teamwork in healthcare. BMJ Postgraduate Medical Journal, 90 (1061), pp. 149-154. https://dx.doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2012-131168
Kinnison, T., May, S.A. and Guile, D. (2015) Errors in veterinary practice: preliminary lessons for building better veterinary teams. Veterinary Record, 177 (19), p. 492. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103327
Kinnison, T., May, S.A. and Guile, D. (2015) Veterinary team interactions, part one: the practice effect. Veterinary Record, 177 (16), p. 419. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103312
Kinnison, T., Guile, D. and May, S.A. (2015) Veterinary team interactions, part 2: the personal effect. Veterinary Record, 177 (21), p. 541. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103313
Mossop, L. (2015) Team training: the future of continuing professional development? Veterinary Record, 177 (21), p. 539-540. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h6403
Cummings, C.O. (2022) Improving within-team communication to reduce the risk of medical errors (commentary). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 260 (60), pp. 600-601. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.21.09.0407
Kinnison, T. and May, S. (2016) Evidence-based healthcare: the importance of effective interprofessional working for high quality veterinary services, a UK example. Veterinary Evidence, 1 (4). https://dx.doi.org/10.18849/ve.v1i4.54

For an example of how team communication can help us improve patient safety in practice you may interested in

Rayner, A. (2022) Team communication – a core non-technical skill [RCVS Knowledge. QI Features][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/features/team-communication–a-core-non-technical-skill/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Quality improvement

Quality improvement is about adopting systematic, measurable approaches to support and continuously advance efficient, high quality, practice. It is recognised that the biggest challenge has nothing to do with professional motivation or clinical expertise, but with how we can best structure our working environments to continually improve patient care and specifically in considering if there is a better, safer way for us to deliver care, so we can reduce avoidable errors and save lives.

RCVS Knowledge has a wide range of resources relating to Quality Improvement in veterinary practice.

Ling, T. et al. (2021) Clinical governance and continuous Quality Improvement in the veterinary profession: A mixed-method study. Veterinary Evidence, 6 (2). https://doi.org/18849/VE.V6I2.383
Rooke, F. et al. (2021) Developing consensus for definitions of key veterinary‐specific quality improvement (QI) terms using an eDelphi‐study method. Veterinary Record, p.e1174. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1174
Rooke, F. et al. (2021) Quality Improvement: origins, purpose and the future for veterinary practice. Veterinary Evidence, 6 (2). https://doi.org/18849/VE.V6I2.358
Oxtoby, C. (2018) Shifting from a blame culture to a learning culture. Companion Animal, 23 (11), pp. 623-627. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2018.23.11.623
Ballantyne, H. (2018) Using checklists in veterinary nursing: what can human healthcare teach us? Veterinary Nursing Journal, 33 (10), pp. 291-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/17415349.2018.1496049
Hocking, L., Picken, N. and Ling, T. (2020) Assessing the landscape and future actions for quality improvement in the veterinary sector – the insights, expectations and aspirations of the profession. London: RCVS Knowledge. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/assessing-the-landscape-and-future-actions-for-quality/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
RCVS Knowledge’s Strategy & Action Plan Supporting Quality Improvement 2020 – 2022 [RCVS Knowledge][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/rcvs-knowledges-strategy-and-action-plan-supporting-quality/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
Hocking, L. et al. (2020) Continuous quality improvement: a road map for the veterinary professions. London: RCVS Knowledge. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/continuous-quality-improvement-a-roadmap-for-the-veterinary/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Other resources:

Daly, M.L. (2022) The case for quality improvement in veterinary medicine. Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. https://doi.org/10.1111/vec.13264

Significant event reporting and clinical audit

Despite our best efforts there will be occasions when things go wrong. One of the most important things we can do is to ensure that these events are seen as an opportunity for learning and improving systems to reduce the risk of similar problems in future.

Significant event reporting

Oxtoby, C. and Mossop, L. (2019) Blame and shame in the veterinary profession: barriers and facilitators to reporting significant events. Veterinary Record, 184 (16), p. 501. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105137
Tivers, M. and Adamantos, S. (2019) Significant event reporting in veterinary practice. The Veterinary Record, 184 (16), p. 498-499. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.l1212
Mosedale, P. (2017) Learning from mistakes: the use of significant event audit in veterinary practice. Companion Animal, 22 (3), pp. 140-143. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2017.22.3.140
Hartnack, S. et al. (2013) Critical incidence reporting systems – an option in equine anaesthesia? Results from a panel meeting. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 40 (6), pp. E3-E6. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12065
Bischoff, S. et al. (2018) Learning from negative results-critical incident reporting system in laboratory animal science (CIRS-LAS. de). Journal of Animal Research Veterinary Science, 2: https://dx.doi.org/10.24966/ARVS-3751/100009
Pang, D.S., Rousseau-Blass, F. and Pang, J.M. (2018) Morbidity and mortality conferences: a mini review and illustrated application in veterinary medicine. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5: 43 https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00043
Kieffer, P.J. and Mueller, P.E. (2018) A profile of morbidity and mortality rounds within resident training programs of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Veterinary Surgery, 47 (3), pp. 343-349. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12765
Significant event audit [RCVS Knowledge. QI Resources][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/quality-improvement/tools-and-resources/significant-event-audit/ [accessed 14 April 2022
Tools to help you complete Significant Event Audit – Root cause analysis [RCVS Knowledge. QI Resources][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/tools-to-help-you-complete-significant-event-audit/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
Mosedale, P. (2017) Joined up clinical governance: learning from our mistakes [podcast]. Veterinary Evidence, 2 (1). https://doi.org/10.18849/ve.v2i1.98
Protecting patients, clients and clinicians from professional errors [The Veterinary Defence Society][online]. Available from: www.vds-vetsafe.co.uk [accessed 14 April 2022]

Clinical audit

We do not have to wait for things to go wrong, to put measures in place to improve the quality of care. Clinical audit provides a method for involving the team in improving the quality of care and these references may give you some ideas on where to start . Further support is available on the RCVS Knowledge website

Clinical audit [RCVS Knowledge. QI Resources][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/quality-improvement/tools-and-resources/clinical-audit/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Waine, K. et al. (2018) A cross-sectional study of experiences and attitudes towards clinical audit of farm animal veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom. Veterinary Sciences, 5 (4), p. 84. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci5040084
Waine, K. et al. (2021) Assessing the feasibility of retrospective and prospective clinical audit in farm animal veterinary practice. Veterinary Sciences, 8 (4), p.62. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci8040062
Rose, N., Toews, L. and Pang, D.S. (2016) A systematic review of clinical audit in companion animal veterinary medicine. BMC Veterinary Research, 12, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0661-4
Rose, N., Kwong, G.P. and Pang, D.S. (2016) A clinical audit cycle of post‐operative hypothermia in dogs. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 57 (9), pp. 447-452. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12547
Waine, K. and Brennan, M. (2015) Clinical audit in veterinary practice: theory v reality. In Practice, 37 (10), pp. 545-549. https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.h5457
Waine, K. et al. (2018) Clinical audit in farm animal veterinary practice: Part 1: preparing for audit. In Practice, 40 (8), pp. 360-364. https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.k3950
Waine, K. et al. (2018) Clinical audit in farm animal veterinary practice. Part 2: conducting the audit. In Practice, 40 (10), pp. 465-469. https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.k4798

Risk and error in veterinary practice

There are some areas of veterinary practice that carry inherent risk and where errors can have significant consequences. While not all adverse outcomes will be related to human error, having systems in place to reduce error can help improve patient safety and provide reassurance for staff.

This section provides references regarding risks in specific areas of practice and some of the measures, including checklists, that can be put in place to manage risk and reduce errors.

Anaesthesia

Hughes, J. and Malthouse, S. (2025) Navigating safety and human factors in preparation for anaesthesia. The Veterinary Nurse, 16 (6), pp. 260-266. https://doi.org/10.12968/vetn.2025.0005
Gozalo-Marcilla, M. et al. (2025) The Confidential Enquiry into Perioperative Equine Fatalities: phase 4 (CEPEF4). A worldwide observational, prospective, multicentre cohort study in 2025. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2025.06.005
Spaar Weiss, M.R. et al. (2025) Risk factors associated with increased mortality within 14 days of general anesthesia in specialty veterinary dentistry and oral surgery practices. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 52 (4), pp. 396-402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2025.04.004
Cañón Pérez, A. et al. (2025) Influence of comprehensive pre-anaesthetic assessment on ASA classification and surgical cancellations in dogs and cats: a retrospective observational study. Veterinary Sciences, 12 (7), no. 612. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12070612
Santos, L.C.P. et. al. (2025) Assessment of support structures for second victims in veterinary anaesthesia: building on insights from an international survey – Part 2. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2025.03.016
Rose, N. et. al. (2024) A retrospective study of perianesthetic and sedation deaths in dogs and cats submitted to Canadian veterinary diagnostic laboratories. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 65 (11), pp. 1157–1164. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11486110/ [Accessed: 6 May 2025]
Magaña, E.Z.H. et. al. (2025) Inter-observer agreement in classifying anesthetic deaths in cats and dogs. BMC Veterinary Research, 21, no. 121. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04589-z
Brodbelt, D.C. et al. (2008) The risk of death: the confidential enquiry into perioperative small animal fatalities. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 35 (5), pp. 365-373. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-2995.2008.00397.x
Brodbelt, D.C. et al. (2007) Risk factors for anaesthetic-related death in cats: results from the confidential enquiry into perioperative small animal fatalities (CEPSAF). British Journal of Anaesthesia, 99 (5), pp. 617-623. https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/aem229
Brodbelt, D.C. et al. (2008) Results of the confidential enquiry into perioperative small animal fatalities regarding risk factors for anesthetic-related death in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 233 (7), pp. 1096-1104. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.233.7.1096
Hubbell, J.A.E., Muir, W.W. and Hopster, K. (2022) Rethinking equine anaesthetic risk: development of a novel Combined Horse Anaesthetic Risk Identification and Optimisation tool (CHARIOT). Equine Veterinary Education, 34 (3) , pp. 134-140. https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13563
Johnston, G.M. et al. (2002) The confidential enquiry into perioperative equine fatalities (CEPEF): mortality results of Phases 1 and 2. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 29 (4), pp. 159-170. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-2995.2002.00106.x
Loomes, K. (2022) Evaluating equine anaesthetic risk. UK-Vet Equine, 6(4), pp. 151-158. https://doi.org/10.12968/ukve.2022.6.4.151
Dugdale, A.H., Obhrai, J. and Cripps, P.J. (2016) Twenty years later: a single-centre, repeat retrospective analysis of equine perioperative mortality and investigation of recovery quality. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 43 (2), pp. 171-178. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12285
Hollwarth, A.J. et al (2022) Mortality outcomes based on ASA grade in avian patients undergoing general. Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, 41, pp. 14-19. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.jepm.2022.02.001
McMillan, M.W. and Lehnus, K.S. (2018) Systems analysis of voluntary reported anaesthetic safety incidents occurring in a university teaching hospital. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 45 (1), pp. 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2017.06.007
Hartnack, S. et al. (2013) Critical incidence reporting systems–an option in equine anaesthesia? Results from a panel meeting. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 40 (6), pp. e3-e8. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12065
McMillan, M. and Darcy, H. (2016) Adverse event surveillance in small animal anaesthesia: an intervention-based, voluntary reporting audit. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 43 (2), pp. 128-135. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12309
Hofmeister, E.H. et al. (2014) Development, implementation and impact of simple patient safety interventions in a university teaching hospital. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 41 (3), pp. 243-248. https://doi.org/10.1111/vaa.12124
Brashear, M. (2022) How to reduce anaesthetic risk in geriatric patients. The Veterinary Nurse, 13 (1), pp. 36-40. https://doi.org/10.12968/vetn.2022.13.1.36
McMillan, M. (2014) Checklists in veterinary anaesthesia: why bother (editorial). Veterinary Record, 175 (22), pp. 556-559. https://org/10.1136/vr.g7515
Menoud, G. et al. (2018) Development and implementation of a perianesthetic safety checklist in a veterinary university small animal teaching hospital. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5: 60. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00060
Mair, A. (2020) Using checklists to improve patient safety during anaesthesia. In Practice, 42 (6), pp. 316-322. https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.m2286
Portier, K. and Ida, K.K. (2018) The ASA Physical Status Classification: what is the evidence for recommending its use in veterinary anesthesia?—A systematic review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5: 204. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00204
Guidelines for safer anaesthesia [Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists][online]. Available from: https://ava.eu.com/resources/anaesthesia-guidelines/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
Anaesthesia records & checklists [Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists][online]. Available from: https://ava.eu.com/resources/checklists/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
Kelly, F.E. et al. (2023) Human factors in anaesthesia: a narrative review. Anaesthesia. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15920
Kelly, F.E. et al. (2023) Implementing human factors in anaesthesia: guidance for clinicians, departments and hospitals. Anaesthesia. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.15941

For an example of how an anaesthetic near miss could be dealt with in practice you may be interested in

Shared leadership – we’re better together [RCVS Knowledge. QI Features][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/features/shared-leadership/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Surgery

Tivers, M. (2011) Reducing surgical complications. Veterinary Record, 169 (13), p. 334-335. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.d6006
Rodriguez, F.R., Kirby, B.M. and Ryan, J. (2018) Evaluation of factors associated with retained surgical sponges in veterinary patients: a survey of veterinary practitioners. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 59 (9), pp. 570-577. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12873
Bergström, A., Dimopoulou, M. and Eldh, M. (2016) Reduction of surgical complications in dogs and cats by the use of a surgical safety checklist. Veterinary Surgery, 45 (5), pp. 571-576. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12482
Kilbane, H., Oxtoby, C. and Tivers, M.S. (2020) Staff attitudes to and compliance with the use of a surgical safety checklist. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 61 (6), pp. 332-337. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13131
Cray, M.T. et al. (2018) Effect of implementation of a surgical safety checklist on perioperative and postoperative complications at an academic institution in North America. Veterinary Surgery, 47 (8), pp. 1052-1065. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.12964
Hawker, W.T. et al. (2021) Use of a surgical safety checklist after implementation in an academic veterinary hospital. Veterinary Surgery, 50 (2), pp. 393-401. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13561
Thieman Mankin, K.M., Jeffery, N.D. and Kerwin, S.C. (2021) The impact of a surgical checklist on surgical outcomes in an academic institution. Veterinary Surgery, 50 (4), pp. 848-857. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13629
Orjefelt, E. (2021) An evaluation into the effectiveness of surgical safety checklists in veterinary procedures. The Veterinary Nurse, 12 (5), pp. 238-243. https://doi.org/10.12968/vetn.2021.12.5.238
Charlesworth, T. (2018) Minimising complications in soft tissue surgery – recent advances. Companion Animal, 23 (5), pp. 282-286. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2018.23.5.282.
A journal watch summary of this article is available.
Surgical safety checklist manual [RCVS Knowledge. QI Resources][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/surgical-safety-checklist-manual/ [accessed 14 April 2022]
Checklist – Surgical safety case study [RCVS Knowledge. QI Resources][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/checklist-surgical-safety-case-study/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

For an example of how surgical safety checklists can be used in practice you may be interested in

The lifesaving power of checklists: what you need to know now [RCVS Knowledge. QI Features][online]. Available from: https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/features/safety-checklists/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Medication errors

Petrou, E. et. al. (2025) First opinion practice electronic health records are a useful source of descriptions of medication errors. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1560652
Diesel, G. and Davis, G. (2015) Adverse events relating to dispensing errors. Veterinary Record, 177 (14), pp. 360-362. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h4299
Mosedale, P. and Blackie, K. (2021) Why do medication errors occur in veterinary practice? Companion Animal, 26 (7), pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2021.0033
Mosedale, P. and Blackie, K. (2022) Reducing medication errors in practice: part 2. Companion Animal, 27 (1), pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2021.0061
FAQs – Common medicines pitfalls [RCVS. Advice and Guidance][online]. Available from: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/faqs-common-medicines-pitfalls/ [accessed 14 April 2022]

Miscellaneous

DeAraugo, J. et al. (2016) Improving the understanding of psychological factors contributing to horse-related accident and injury: context, loss of focus, cognitive errors and rigidity. Animals, 6 (2), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6020012

About evidence collections

Evidence collections bring together collections of published papers on topics of interest and importance to the veterinary professions. Papers are chosen for relevance and accessibility, with the full text of articles either being available through the RCVS Knowledge library, on open access or from other publications to which a significant number of veterinary professionals are likely to have access. This means that there may be relevant evidence that is not included.

If you would like assistance in searching for further evidence on this topic you may find the following helpful EBVM Toolkit 2: Finding the best available evidence.

If you would like to suggest a paper for inclusion in one of our published evidence collections, or a topic for a future collection, please email library@rcvsknowledge.org