Invitation for Proposals: Literature review articles from a Spectrum of Care perspective

Spectrum of Care (SOC) includes all medically sound diagnostic and treatment options veterinarians can profitably recommend for their patients, whose owners come from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The SOC philosophy recognizes that the best plan for any given patient will depend on many factors within each unique veterinary client patient context.

Veterinarians should take pride in offering state of the art medical and surgical care and must charge appropriately for these services to maintain profitability for their businesses. However, it is important to recognize that with these advances and increasing costs, a growing proportion of clients cannot afford such care for their pets. In the context of clients who cannot afford the most sophisticated care, less expensive options are necessary.

In addition to our Spectrum of Care Clinical Trial Grants, the Stanton Foundation is now inviting proposals for literature review articles from a spectrum of care perspective. This program will provide funding for the development and publication of scholarly journal articles that will provide an in-depth exploration of the spectrum of care for canine conditions commonly seen in general practice. We seek proposals for articles that will summarize the available evidence for various diagnostic and treatment options for a particular condition and then combine this literature review with a recommendation for how to manage this condition when the client’s finances are limited. The synthesis will provide risks and benefits of this treatment option compared to a more extensive and expensive diagnostic work-up and treatment plan, and will include an analysis of both cost to client and cost to clinic to provide this range of care options. Collaboration or co-authorship between specialists and general practitioners is encouraged.

The ideal article will combine a scholarly review of available evidence (example) in a concise and readable format, with a description of a cost-effective approach to care, including a cost analysis (examples here and here).