Monthly Archives: January 2015

EBVM 2014 Conference Presentations

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak at an evidence-based veterinary medicine conference organized by RCVS Knowledge in London last October. The recordings of those presentations, and all the others given at the conference, are now available online. … Continue reading

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When Absence of Evidence Is Evidence of Absence

As a proponent of evidence-based medicine (EBM), I often emphasize that in the absence of good-quality controlled research evidence, we cannot reliably assess the safety or efficacy of medical treatments. And as a skeptic, I am often forced to clarify … Continue reading

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Can We Trust Published Scientific Research?

The core principle of evidence-based medicine is that not all evidence is created equal. Controlled scientific studies provide more reliable evidence than anecdotes because they contain controls for universal sources of error in human perception and judgment. This is a … Continue reading

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Je Suis Charlie

Human beings are diverse. We are diverse, as individuals and as communities, in our physical characteristics and in our experiences. This leads to a diversity of beliefs and opinions. It is inevitable that we will disagree with other people about … Continue reading

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How to Pick a Vet (or How Not To)

In veterinary medicine, we have greater incentives to make our clients happy than most physicians have to satisfy their patients. Pet owners choose their vets, often on the basis of location or personal recommendation, and they can choose to find … Continue reading

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Is Cancer Caused by Bad Luck?

Why Ask Why? There are many reasons people are interested in the causes of cancer in pets. On a purely emotional level, it is natural to ask “Why?” when something terrible happens, such as the diagnosis of cancer in a … Continue reading

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