Development of standard consensus definitions for infectious urinary tract disease in dogs and cats, a modified Delphi study.

Standardized consensus definitions for infectious UTD improve diagnosis, communication, and research quality.

This modified Delphi study established consensus-based standardized definitions for infectious urinary tract disease (UTD) in dogs and cats. The research involved four sequential rounds of expert and stakeholder review with increasing participant numbers (19, 16, 90, and 52 participants). The study successfully developed 29 standardized terms with associated definitions and one set of cutoff values for infectious UTD. The authors emphasize that inconsistent terminology and variable definitions in previous UTD research have created significant confusion and complicated evidence assessment in clinical literature. By establishing consensus-derived standardized terminology, this work addresses a foundational gap in veterinary clinical communication and research methodology. The standardized definitions are intended to improve diagnostic clarity, enhance inter-professional communication, facilitate surveillance efforts, and strengthen the quality of clinical research in infectious UTD. Implementation of these definitions should enable more reliable comparison between studies, support evidence-based guideline development, and ultimately improve clinical management and patient outcomes in dogs and cats with infectious urinary tract disease.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.