We are excited to update you on the progress of the world’s first automated digital registry in veterinary medicine, which is run by RCVS Knowledge on the Amplitude pro registry™ platform.

RCVS Knowledge is a charity that provides free tools, resources, and education to thousands of veterinary professionals across the world. Their mission is to advance the quality of veterinary care and support the delivery of high-quality evidence-based veterinary medicine to millions of animals.

In 2021, RCVS Knowledge launched the Canine Cruciate Registry (CCR), an automated surgical registry that collects anonymised data from vets and dog owners in the UK, to report on the outcomes of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) surgeries, a common procedure in dogs. Although there are several recognised surgical procedures to treat CCL ruptures, there is a lack of high-quality evidence evaluating them in large populations of patients. The registry uses both the LOAD (Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs) and COI (Canine Orthopaedic Index) questionnaires, which are validated Client-Reported Outcomes Measures (CROMS). Owners answer questions about their dog’s health and mobility in order to monitor the dog’s long-term progress.

This groundbreaking registry is the first of its kind in veterinary medicine and is open to all veterinary surgeons in the UK, free of charge.

Recently RCVS Knowledge presented an abstract, in the form of a virtual poster, at the (human) National PROMs Research Conference in Wales. The poster outlined the purpose, impact and aspirations of the Canine Cruciate Registry.

Traditionally, these types of conferences have been reserved for registries that monitor and report on human patients that receive medical treatment. However, RCVS Knowledges’ participation in the National PROMs Research Conference marks the first step in sharing information about running registries designed to identify best practice in the care and treatment of both animals and people.    

Susan Williams, the Managing Director of Amplitude Clinical Outcomes, has congratulated RCVS Knowledge on their recent presentations, stating: 

“The Amplitude team are thrilled to be able to support this pioneering registry. The Canine Cruciate Registry is fundamental in understanding and improving veterinary medical treatments nationwide. We look forward to supporting RCVS Knowledge in continuing their research across all animal species, improving surgical outcomes and reducing the risk of complications post-surgery.” 

Chris Gush, Executive Director of RCVS Knowledge, added: 

“RCVS Knowledge are proud to be leading the development of clinical audit and registries to support the veterinary professions on their journey to continually improve the care they deliver. Registries are key in supporting the professions in understanding first-hand information about our patients with certain conditions, both individually and as a group, contextualizing with information from their owners, and over time, to increase our understanding of that condition.” 

The development of Canine Cruciate Registry has also brought to light many similarities between registries and clinical outcomes assessments in both humans and animals. The hope is that these two, previously separate, areas of medical research can work simultaneously and in collaboration to streamline patient data capture, analysis, and reporting procedures. 

Head over to RCVS Knowledge’s YouTube changed to see the Canine Cruciate Registry in action.