Dr. Brennen McKenzie has been a small animal general practitioner for over twenty years. He is a past-president of the Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Association and author of the SkeptVet Blog. Dr. McKenzie is also currently the Director of Veterinary Medicine for Loyal, a biotechnology company developing medicines to extend lifespan and health span in dogs. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
| 1:30 PM-2:30 PM |
Spectrum of Care: Revolutionary Idea, Same Old Thing, or Empty Buzzword?How do we help as many pets and their humans as possible? How do we ensure that every patient gets the high-quality, evidence-based care they deserve when resources are often limited? Spectrum of care has become an important strategy for addressing the problem of access to veterinary care. This session looks at the concept of a spectrum of care: what it is, what it means for vets and pet owners, and some strategies for how it can be implemented in general practice. |
| 2:40 PM-3:40 PM |
Age of Endarkenment? Medical Mistrust and Misinformation and What Vets Can Do About ItAttitudes towards science and medicine are always changing, influenced by the currents of history, new technologies, and many intangible factors. As highly visible and trusted members of a science-based medical profession, vets are impacted every day by these shifts in societal attitudes and beliefs. This session examines current trends in how the general public views science and medicine, the problem of mistrust and misinformation, the impact of these on the veterinary profession, and the role of veterinarians in adapting to these changes and preserving our role as trusted healthcare providers. |
| 4:00 PM-5:15 PM |
Choosing Wisely: Things to Stop Doing in Your Practice (Maybe)Science is always refining and adding to our knowledge. This gives us new and better tools to treat our patients, but sometimes it also puts us in the painful position of acknowledging that tests or treatments we have used for a long time may no longer be appropriate. This session explores several examples of common clinical practices that a growing body of scientific evidence suggests are ineffective and should be abandoned. |
| 1:50 PM-2:50 PM |
Too Much Medicine? The Allure of OverdiagnosisNew and more sensitive diagnostic tests are becoming available all the time, and many owners are increasingly willing to pay for more testing. But more is not always better, and there is little awareness among vets or pet owners of the dangers inherent in too much testing. Misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis can lead not only to wasted time and money but to direct patient harm. In this session, we discuss what overdiagnosis is, how and why it happens, and how we can practice rational, responsible diagnostic testing to minimize the risks of overdiagnosis and other common diagnostic errors. |
| 3:00 PM-4:00 PM |
Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine in the Trenches: Practical EBVM for the Busy GPEvidence-based medicine (EBVM) is sometimes mistakenly seen as a complicated, academic approach ill-suited to the demands of busy, real-world general practice. The truth is that EBVM is all about making it easier for clinicians to provide high-quality care in an efficient way that reduces stress and facilitates effective client communication. This session introduces the principles of EBVM and the specific tools it offers to improve day-to-day practice. We will also look at a simple, step-by-step approach for integrating EBVM in routine patient management. |
| 4:30 PM-5:30 PM |
Extending Lifespan and Health Span with Nutrition: Science Vs. SpeculationThere is a deep well of scientific research investigating the impact of diet on the underlying mechanisms of aging, and it is clear that nutrition can play a role in extending lifespan and health span. There is also an inexhaustible supply of claims about nutrition and aging that range from unproven to outright nonsensical. This session introduces the scientific foundations of how nutrition impacts the aging process. We will also sort through what are reasonable and unreasonable claims about how feeding dogs and cats can impact their health and life expectancy. |
