Evidence-Based Clinical Practice in Exotic Animal Medicine
Preface
Nicola Di Girolamo, DMV, MSc (EBHC), Alexandra L. Winter, BVSc, DACVS PhD, DECZM (Herpetology) Editors
When we first set out to create an issue focused on the application of principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) for busy exotic animal practitioners, we assumed that this was likely an impossible task. EBM is not a classic medical “specialty”; rather this describes an approach to the delivery of patient care. Furthermore, we hoped to provide content in a readily understandable format for immediate application in dayto-day clinical practice, that would be useful for trainees (interns, residents, fellows, graduate students) as well as practicing clinicians. With this task in mind, we have organized the content into two broad sections. The first includes articles describing current advances in exotic animal medicine divided by species. Two chapters dedicated to the current status of methods of analgesia and anesthesia in exotic species are also included. Accompanying this clinical information, a separate section is dedicated to addressing various core principles underlying the practice of EBM. These include basic and more advanced statistics, and an introduction to systematic reviews. We felt that chapters on how to search the literature and how to write a research article would be particularly useful for recent graduates, interns, and residents. Evidence-based medicine is defined as the integration of the best available research, with clinical experience and patient (and owner) values, when addressing any clinical scenario; notice that the patient is always at the core of evidence-based practice. As veterinarians, we face particularly unique challenges in our efforts to search for the best available evidence; as such, these challenges may be exacerbated for clinicians working with exotic species. The diversity of the species treated, the variety of the treatments provided, and the poor quality of current scientific resources are just some of the challenges that we face daily. Nonetheless, we hope that readers will find the information presented in this issue of value in their everyday practice. We are grateful for the outstanding contributions of all of the authors. It has been an incredibly rewarding collaborative experience to work on putting this issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice together and it would not have been possible without the extraordinary work of the editorial team at Elsevier, to whom we express our thanks.
Vet Clin Exot Anim 20 (2017) xiii–xiv http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2017.06.001 1094-9194/17/ª 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
vetexotic.theclinics.com
xiv
Preface
Nicola Di Girolamo, DMV, MSc (EBHC), PhD, DECZM (Herpetology) Tai Wai Small Animal & Exotic Hospital 75 Chik Shun Street Tai Wai, Shatin, Hong Kong EBMVet Via Sigismondo Trecchi 20, Cremona, Italy Alexandra L. Winter, BVSc, DACVS American Veterinary Medical Association 1931 N. Meacham Road Suite 100, Schaumburg IL 60173, USA E-mail addresses: [email protected] (N. Di Girolamo) [email protected] (A.L. Winter)
Preface
Nicola Di Girolamo, DMV, MSc (EBHC), Alexandra L. Winter, BVSc, DACVS PhD, DECZM (Herpetology) Editors
When we first set out to create an issue focused on the application of principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) for busy exotic animal practitioners, we assumed that this was likely an impossible task. EBM is not a classic medical “specialty”; rather this describes an approach to the delivery of patient care. Furthermore, we hoped to provide content in a readily understandable format for immediate application in dayto-day clinical practice, that would be useful for trainees (interns, residents, fellows, graduate students) as well as practicing clinicians. With this task in mind, we have organized the content into two broad sections. The first includes articles describing current advances in exotic animal medicine divided by species. Two chapters dedicated to the current status of methods of analgesia and anesthesia in exotic species are also included. Accompanying this clinical information, a separate section is dedicated to addressing various core principles underlying the practice of EBM. These include basic and more advanced statistics, and an introduction to systematic reviews. We felt that chapters on how to search the literature and how to write a research article would be particularly useful for recent graduates, interns, and residents. Evidence-based medicine is defined as the integration of the best available research, with clinical experience and patient (and owner) values, when addressing any clinical scenario; notice that the patient is always at the core of evidence-based practice. As veterinarians, we face particularly unique challenges in our efforts to search for the best available evidence; as such, these challenges may be exacerbated for clinicians working with exotic species. The diversity of the species treated, the variety of the treatments provided, and the poor quality of current scientific resources are just some of the challenges that we face daily. Nonetheless, we hope that readers will find the information presented in this issue of value in their everyday practice. We are grateful for the outstanding contributions of all of the authors. It has been an incredibly rewarding collaborative experience to work on putting this issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice together and it would not have been possible without the extraordinary work of the editorial team at Elsevier, to whom we express our thanks.
Vet Clin Exot Anim 20 (2017) xiii–xiv http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2017.06.001 1094-9194/17/ª 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
vetexotic.theclinics.com
xiv
Preface
Nicola Di Girolamo, DMV, MSc (EBHC), PhD, DECZM (Herpetology) Tai Wai Small Animal & Exotic Hospital 75 Chik Shun Street Tai Wai, Shatin, Hong Kong EBMVet Via Sigismondo Trecchi 20, Cremona, Italy Alexandra L. Winter, BVSc, DACVS American Veterinary Medical Association 1931 N. Meacham Road Suite 100, Schaumburg IL 60173, USA E-mail addresses: [email protected] (N. Di Girolamo) [email protected] (A.L. Winter)
