Vetting the evidence: evidencebased veterinary medicine

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Vetting the evidence evidence-based veterinary
medicine

• Tom Roper, Head of RCVS Library Information
  Service
• EAHIL Workshop, Alghero, 7-9 June 2001

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Evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM)

• EBVM has been slow to develop in the animal
  health world witness the results of a PubMed
  search (June 2001)
• Search for EBM 5822 references
• Search for EBVM 17 references

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Increasing interest in EBVM (1)

• The informed client
• Increasing access to information
• Crisis of public confidence in the health
  professions
• Government expectations

• Veterinarians
• Increasing pressure to keep up to date
• Revalidation
• CPD
• Need to demonstrate basis of decisions to clients

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Increasing interest in EBVM (2)

• Growing understanding of the economic importance
  of animal health
• UK experience BSE, FMD
• zoönoses

• Scientific advances
• Complicated and expensive procedures now possible
  in animals (eg organ transplantation)
• Are these
• Effective?
• Economically justifiable?

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Why the slow take up of EBVM?Some hypotheses (1)

• Absence of economic drivers? Unlikely UK animal
  health care is increasingly funded by insurers,
  who have an interest in only paying for
  procedures which have clear benefits

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Why the slow take up of EBVM?Some hypotheses (2)

• The evidence isnt there
• Absence of methodologically rigorous large scale
  studies
• Smith RD Veterinary clinical research a survey
  of epidemiologic study designs and clinical
  issues appearing in a practice journal Acta Vet
  Scand Suppl 198884504-6

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A solution?

• Medical Research Council Comparative Clinical
  Studies Panel
• Aims
• To provide a strategic focus for veterinary
  research, especially clinical research, and
  promote comparative medicine
• Secure an evidence base for the practice of
  veterinary medicine

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Comparative Clinical Studies Panel

• Funded by a levy on the beneficiaries of
  veterinary research
• Trial period of 5-7 years
• Endorsed by Medical Research Council and Chairman
  of the Higher Education Funding Council

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For more information, and a copy of our resource
list

• Visit our web site
• http//www.rcvslibrary.org.uk/ebvm.html
• E-mail me t.roper_at_rcvs.org.uk
• Leave your business card in the pocket below