Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Medicine

Abstract

Contemporary veterinary clinical practice is the art and science of providing optimal care for the animal in a context that is consistent with the informed consent of the person responsible (owner) for the care, well-being, and use of that animal. These are two important considerations: the provision of optimal care, which implies knowledge of what is best practice, and provision of this care in a context in which the wishes and resources of the owner are considered. Best practice increasingly relies on an awareness of the scientific and clinical literature on a specific topic and the ability to evaluate the reliability of this information. This process has been called “evidence-based veteri..