Veterinary Medicine - September 2008 - (Page 482)

Leading Off How we can contribute to clinical research Dawn Merton Boothe, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP linical trials constitute the cornerstone of evidence-based medicine. They are a part of a broader realm of clinical research, which determines the safety and efﬁcacy of diagnostic or therapeutic interventions and examines their impact on at-risk patient populations. Most commonly, clinical trials compare therapeutic interventions between at least two sample populations. Other examples of clinical research include observational studies (e.g. case reports; case series; and epidemiologic studies, such as adverse event reporting) and ﬁeld trials (large clinical trials). Although normal animals can be evaluated in clinical trials, patients with or at risk to develop spontaneous C CLINICAL TRIAL CHALLENGES Academic commitment lacking Academia is uniquely placed to assume a leadership role in promoting and facilitating multicenter clinical research studies, including clinical trials. But ﬁnancial constraints and complicated accounting policies often lead academic administrators to passively support or even actively discourage funding for personnel, facilities, patient enrollment, or equipment to conduct clinical research. Fortunately, nearly half of North American veterinary colleges have dedicated some support to clinical research activities, and several sponsor Ofﬁces of Clinical Trials. Colleges that commit resources to generating new medical knowledge Dawn Merton Boothe, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology College of Veterinary Medicine Auburn University, AL 36849 ments that support clinical research, the timing may be optimal to more effectively promote the role of spontaneous animal diseases as models of like diseases in people. Clinical trials involving veterinary patients might bridge the distance between mouse models and spontaneous disease in people. Limited dissemination of information Academia has successfully promoted the tenets of evidence-based medicine, and practitioners increasingly apply them to patient care. Indeed, practitioners help identify the questions that clinical research answers. Yet, despite our profession’s enthusiastic embrace of evidence-based medicine, veterinary journal reports are often limited to case studies, case series, and review articles (largely based on human medicine) rather than clinical trials. This limitation is due, in part, to the paucity of clinical trial data. Anecdotal evidence appears to continue to play an important role in therapeutic decision-making in veterinary medicine. For example, veterinarians have rapidly accepted specialty compounded drugs, human generic drugs, and dietary supplements as therapeutic modalities despite limited or no evidence of efﬁcacy or safety. Clinical research struggles for acceptance in veterinary academic and private practice environments. disease comprise the optimal study population. As such, clinical trials are more appropriately implemented in collaboration with clinicians who have a vested interest in their patients’ welfare, even if the animals evaluated provide an experimental model of the disease of interest. However, clinical research struggles for acceptance in veterinary academic and private practice environments. Yet, we can improve this vital part of veterinary medicine in several ways. should beneﬁt from the expertise and recognition afforded by such achievements. Clinical research is inseparable from high-quality patient care, and clients who choose hospitals associated with a clinical research program will beneﬁt from the program’s strengths. Thus, the patient base may increase, particularly if research activities are promoted as part of high-quality patient care. A clinical research program also strengthens recruitment and retention of clinical faculty. For academic environ- 482 September 2008 VETERINARY MEDICINE

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - September 2008

Veterinary Medicine - September 2008 Contents Leading Off Practical Matters Idea Exchange A Challengin Case: Thymic Cyst and Recurrent Chylothorax in a Cat 10 Life-Threatening Behavior Myths CE Form Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - September 2008

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