Announcing a new way to share data with Vet Advisors

ZIMS access for TAG, SSP and EEP veterinarians in the AZA and EAZA regions is now live!

Species360 is pleased to announce a new way of securely and efficiently sharing veterinary data through the Vet Advisor Data Sharing program in the Species360 Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). This new option enables Species360 members to voluntarily share data with Vet Advisor institutions approved by the regional zoo and aquarium associations, to support species’ health management in their ex situ conservation programs. 

If you are a veterinary advisor for an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Taxon Advisory Group (TAG), Species Survival Plan (SSP), or European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Ex Situ Programme (EEP) you can now login to the new ZIMS Veterinary Advisor Institutions and view shared medical records for your program animals via ZIMS. 

Current approved veterinary advisors will be able to view information such as exam findings, pathology results, drug usage, and anesthesia reports via securely shared medical records from AZA and EAZA, as well as non-AZA and non-EAZA facilities that utilize ZIMS. This can provide faster, data-driven recommendations for the health management of your respective programs.  If you are a veterinary advisor and need to gain access to ZIMS, please reach out to the chairs of the Veterinary Advisory Group committee for your regional association.

Species360 members are able to voluntarily opt into the sharing of their data directly with the vet advisor for the species or conservation breeding program. Members maintain control of their level of sharing, and can choose to share, or stop sharing, at any time. More information on how to turn on this feature is available via the training links below. 

“We are very excited to launch this new, secure data sharing option in ZIMS following a successful pilot program in 2021. Veterinarians already using this new way of sharing have found it useful and have said that it has improved the quality of consultations and the efficiency of data review.”   

Dr. Rachel Thompson, Product Owner, ZIMS for Medical

How to access and share data in the Vet Advisor Data Sharing program:

For veterinarians who already have access to ZIMS, step-by-step instructions on sharing medical records and how to search for data is available in the ZIMS Help section, here, as well as on the Veterinary Advisor Resources page of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) website. 

For Species360 members, more information on the Vet Advisor Data Sharing program as well as how to voluntarily opt into sharing your medical data with a vet advisor institution, is available here. 

For any questions, please feel free to email support@species360.org.