Study to determine clinical decision thresholds in small animal veterinary practice

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Clinical Decision Making
• Diagnostic Thresholds

Background:

• Clinical decision-making in small animal veterinary practice often relies on subjective thresholds.
• Establishing objective clinical decision thresholds can improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine clinical decision thresholds for six common conditions in small animal veterinary practice.
• To explore a novel approach for establishing group clinical threshold levels among veterinarians.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to veterinarians presenting scenarios for canine panosteitis, hypothyroidism, urinary tract infection (UTI), mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction (GIO), idiopathic epilepsy, and feline chronic kidney disease.
• Test and treatment threshold levels were computed based on 297 usable responses.

Main Results:

• Interpretable test and treatment thresholds were successfully determined for canine UTI (test threshold: 12.8%, treatment threshold: 82.0%) and canine mechanical GIO (test threshold: 3.2%, treatment threshold: 87.3%).
• Data for other conditions did not yield interpretable thresholds in this pilot study.

Conclusions:

• This study introduced a new methodology for determining clinical thresholds in small animal veterinary medicine.
• Objective thresholds were established for canine UTI and GIO, providing a foundation for future clinical decision rules.
• Further research is recommended to expand this methodology to a broader range of veterinary conditions.