The application, value, and impact of outcomes research in animal health and veterinary medicine

Outcomes research is a relatively recent field of study in animal health and veterinary medicine despite being well-established in human medicine. As the field of animal health is broad-ranging in terms of animal species, objectives, research methodologies, design, analysis, values, and outcomes, there is inherent versatility in the application and impact of the discipline of outcomes research to a variety of stakeholders. The major themes of outcomes relevant to the animal health industry have been distilled down to include, but are not limited to, health, production, economics, and marketing. An outcomes research approach considers an element of value along with an outcome of interest, setting it apart from traditional research approaches. Elements of value are determined by the stakeholders' use of products and/or services that meet or exceed functional, emotional, life-changing, and/or societal needs. Stakeholder perception of value depends on many factors such as the purpose of the animal (e.g., companion vs. food production) and the stakeholder's role (e.g., veterinarian, client, pet-owner, producer, consumer, government official, industry representative, policy holder). Key areas of application of outcomes research principles include comparative medicine, veterinary product development, and post-licensure evaluation of veterinary pharmaceuticals and/or biologics. Topics currently trending in human healthcare outcomes research, such as drug pricing, precision medicine, or the use of real-world evidence, offer novel and interesting perspectives for addressing themes common to the animal health sector. An approach that evaluates the benefits of practices and interventions to veterinary patients and society while maximizing outcomes is paramount to combating many current and future scientific challenges where feeding the world, caring for our aging companion animals, and implementing novel technologies in companion animal medicine and in production animal agriculture are at the forefront of our industry goals.