AI Knowledge Search for Veterinarians: How to Use It Safely

AI-based knowledge search helps veterinarians quickly find and summarize clinically relevant information, such as guidelines and research articles. The usefulness of this tool depends on which sources the service uses, how up-to-date they are, and whether the user can verify the source of the answer.

An AI response must always be reviewed before the information influences the assessment of a patient. The veterinarian is responsible for weighing the information against the patient’s medical history, examination findings, and other relevant factors.

What is AI Knowledge Search?

In AI-based knowledge retrieval, the veterinarian formulates a question and receives an answer based on the sources available to the system. An AI agent for knowledge retrieval can, for example, be used to determine what published guidelines specify or to summarize the current state of research on a particular issue. A useful answer should be traceable to verifiable sources.

Knowledge Search is not the same as related AI features:

Clinical decision support links information to a specific patient and clinical question, for example, by suggesting differential diagnoses. It provides a basis for assessment but does not make any decisions.
A diagnosis is the veterinarian’s clinical conclusion following an evaluation of the patient. AI-generated information serves as a basis for that conclusion, but is never a definitive diagnosis.
AI-generated medical record text processes what was said during the consultation into a draft medical record. It reproduces and structures the conversation but does not contribute any external knowledge.

Issues a veterinarian may want to investigate

A veterinarian may want to look up current guidelines for a clinical issue or verify whether a previous practice is still in line with published recommendations. The answer should then specify which guidelines are being referred to and when they were updated.

When working with differential diagnoses, a literature search can be used to review relevant literature and identify issues that require further investigation. The results must be compared with the patient’s medical history and findings and should not be treated as a definitive diagnostic assessment.

Questions about medications require verification against the current summary of product characteristics and other relevant primary sources. Information regarding, for example, usage or restrictions may be out of date or lack the proper context in an AI-generated response.

AI can also summarize a specific body of material, such as a lengthy article or a guideline. The veterinarian must then verify that the summary accurately reflects the source material and that important caveats are included.

How to Review an AI Response

Formulate a specific question and provide the relevant patient context, without sharing more personal information than the clinic’s procedures allow.
Review the sources on which the answer is based, when they were published, and whether they are relevant to the question at hand.
Verify the information against primary sources and applicable guidelines. Compare drug information with the current summary of product characteristics.
Evaluate the information in light of the patient’s medical history and examination findings. Any uncertainties in the data must be taken into account in the ongoing assessment.
Make the decision and document your own assessment in the medical record. The AI response serves as a reference, not part of the medical record, unless the clinic’s procedures specify otherwise.

An answer without clear sources requires special caution. Even when a source is cited, the user needs to verify that the content has been reproduced accurately and has not been mixed up with information from other contexts.

Knowledge Search in Vetz

Vetz has a built-in knowledge search tool: an AI agent that searches evidence-based information, medical records, and relevant research articles. The sources are selected in collaboration with veterinarians, and the knowledge search tool is intended to provide support in more difficult cases and with complex diagnoses.

The knowledge search feature is located within the same tool as the medical record system. This means that the veterinarian can search for supporting information related to the consultation without having to switch to a separate service. In addition to the knowledge search, Vetz offers a diagnostic support feature that suggests differential diagnoses based on the consultation, complete with clinical supporting points and links to scientific articles or guidelines when available. This is described in more detail in the section on AI and diagnostic support.

The same principle applies in Vetz as it does to all AI-based knowledge searches: the answers serve as a basis for the veterinarian’s assessment. The clinical assessment and decision always rest with the veterinarian. An overview of all features is available on the Vetz features page.

Knowledge Seeking and Record-Keeping Are Interconnected

In everyday practice, knowledge search is often used in conjunction with AI-assisted record-keeping: Vetz generates a draft record based on the consultation, and the veterinarian can look up supporting information whenever a question arises. The draft record is always reviewed and signed by the veterinarian before it is transferred to the medical record system. This workflow is described in “AI-Assisted Record-Keeping for Veterinarians” and “How Vetz Works.”

Patient Data and Issues Related to Implementation

When a query submitted to the knowledge search tool contains patient-specific information, the clinic must have a clear understanding of how that information is handled. The clinic should have written answers to the following questions before implementing the tool:

What information is processed when a question is asked, and are the questions saved?
Where is the data processed and stored, and which subcontractors are involved?
How long is the data retained, and how is it deleted or exported?
Which users can access the material, and how are access permissions managed?
Is the data used to develop or train models, and can the clinic control that?
How is liability allocated in the event of incorrect information or unauthorized access?

It is advisable to ask these questions directly to the supplier before entering into a contract. The clinic’s data protection officer should then evaluate the responses based on the organization’s own procedures.

How the Clinic Evaluates AI-Powered Knowledge Search

Request a demonstration using realistic clinical questions from your own practice, and check how the answers cite their sources. It should be clear how the source material is selected, how often it is updated, and how the user can access the original source.

Then, have a few veterinarians use the knowledge search tool for a limited period of time and note which questions it helps answer, where the answers need to be supplemented, and how much time the review takes. A decision to implement the tool should be based on that experience and on the clinic’s own information security requirements.

You can try Vetz for free for 14 days. Clinics that want to see how the knowledge search feature works within their own workflow can schedule a demo.