CVS Equine launches asthma QI project

A veterinary group has launched a new initiative to enhance the diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of equine asthma across its practices.

CVS Equine has initiated the Equine Asthma Quality Improvement Project to evaluate and improve outcomes for the respiratory condition at scale.

The group has asked its clinicians and client care teams to consistently record equine asthma as formal diagnoses to allow accurate case identification and enable a detailed review of the treatment approaches taken.

Emerging evidence

The structured review will analyse current prescribing and management strategies alongside environmental and owner-led management factors.

It is said the findings will directly inform the development of updated, evidence-based, specialist-led clinical guidelines for the condition that CVS will introduce across its equine division.

The project is also said to strengthen the role veterinary nurses play in the ongoing management of asthma by recognising the importance of long-term monitoring, owner education and environmental management alongside medical treatment.

It will also consider emerging evidence on treatment efficacy and sustainability, including the environmental impact of inhaled therapies.

‘Accurate picture’

CVS Equine veterinary medical director Charlotte Sinclair said: “Equine asthma is a condition we see every day in practice, yet historically it hasn’t been easy to objectively assess how we are diagnosing and managing it across a large and diverse clinical population.

“By taking a quality improvement approach, starting with something as simple as consistent diagnosis recording, we can build a clearer, accurate picture of current practice and use that data to drive meaningful improvements in care.”

She added: “Equine asthma is rarely ‘fixed’ with a single intervention. Improving care requires consistency, evidence and collaboration – and this project allows us to bring all three together.”