title: Controlled but pragmatic investigations of interventions for behavioural disturbances in dogs and cats.
abstract: Veterinarians are often directly involved in clinical studies or requested for information to help interpret their results. Therefore, it is reasonable to examine the reservoir of study methods. This article transfers methodological considerations from clinical research into veterinary medicine. The study question determines the appropriate study method. Recently a ten-step procedure was suggested for selection of appropriate study designs in humans. Based on this approach, a pragmatic study design was adapted to the conditions prevailing in interventional studies in dogs and cats with disturbed behaviour. The different concepts for clinical studies are introduced. Whether or not the design and the evaluation of pragmatic studies in dogs and cats with disturbed behaviour has been maintained and the prerequisites have thereby been fulfilled so that the obtained results are suitable to be applied under everyday conditions can be tested in eight steps. Using the pragmatic design the superiority of complex interventions can be investigated. The results of pragmatic studies help to substantiate a value judgement, i. e., the recommendation or rejection of a specific therapeutic intervention for a defined disease entity in a specific therapeutic setting. The goal of pragmatic studies is to obtain results appropriate for use in everyday situations. In conclusion, the suggested procedure is useful for the selection of the appropriate study designs for specific questions. This procedure is also suitable to test whether the conclusions of published study results coincide with the chosen methods.
authors.affiliation: Klinische Okonomik, Universität Ulm, Ulm, Germany. franz.porzsolt@uniklinik-ulm.de
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Porzsolt
authors.forename: Heidrun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002415:Cats / Q000523:psychology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000523:psychology*; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods*