Internal vs. External Validity: Can I Believe It, and Does It Apply to My Patient?

Can you trust a study's results — and even if you can, do they apply to YOUR patient? In this mini-talk, we break down internal and external validity, the two questions every clinician should ask before applying research findings. Learn how sampling design, non-response bias, and the efficacy vs. effectiveness trade-off shape whether evidence travels from study to practice. Plus, walk through a practical 7-step framework for applying study findings to individual patients — with a hands-on case study using neonatal calf diarrhea and probiotic efficacy data. Part of the Veterinary Epidemiology Mini-Talk Series | Unit 5: Study Design & Evidence I 🕐 ~12–14 minutes #VeterinaryEpidemiology #EvidenceBasedMedicine #InternalValidity #ExternalValidity #StudyDesign #VetMed #Epidemiology #CriticalAppraisal #EBM #VeterinaryScience #VetEd #ResearchMethods #Biostatistics #ClinicalResearch #VetStudents