Bradford Hill Criteria

Question 1

what are the Bradford Hill criteria?

Answer 1

the criteria by which one can drawn an association between a specific infectious agent and a disease state

Question 2

what are the 9 Bradford Hill criteria?

Answer 2

1. temporality
2. strength and association
3. biological gradient (dose-response)
4. consistency
5. plausibility
6. specificity
7. evidence
8. analogy
9. coherence

Question 3

describe temporality

Answer 3

there is a time relationship between cause and effect (effect after cause) with some expected delay between cause and effect

Question 4

describe strength and association

Answer 4

cause and effect may only be observed by statistical correlation between these in repeated events ot experments (full strength has coefficient of 1)

Question 5

describe biological gradient (dose response)

Answer 5

in treatment, there might be expected to be a relationship between the dose given and the reaction of the patient

Question 6

describe consistency

Answer 6

one apparent success does not prove a general cause and effect in wider contexts; to prove a tx is useful, it must give consisten results in a wide range of circumstances

Question 7

describe plausibility

Answer 7

the apparent cause and effect must make sense in light of current theories and results; if a causal relationship appears to be outside of current science then significant additional hypothesizing and testing will be required before a true cause and effect can be found

Question 8

describe specificity

Answer 8

a specific relationship is found if there is no other plausible explanation; not always the case in medicine

Question 9

describe evidence

Answer 9

a very strong proof of cause and effect comes from the results of experiments, where many significant variables are help stable to prevent interference

Question 10

describe analogy

Answer 10

when something is suspected of causing an effect, then other factors similar or analogous to the supposed cause should also be considered and identified as a possible cause or otherwise eliminated

Question 11

describe coherence

Answer 11

if laboratory experiments in which variables are controlled and external everyday evidence are in alognment, then it is said that there is coherence