PASS Epidemiological Study Designs Flashcards
Types of epidemiological designs
Review studies
Experimental studies
Observational studies
Types of observational studies
Descriptive - can NOT confirm association
Analytic - can confirm association
Types of review studies
Systematic reviews
Meta-analyses
Narrative reviews
Scoring reviews
What do systematic reviews and meta-analyses do?
Present, analyse + synthesise results from different studies concerning similar research topics
Weakness of systematic reviews + meta-analyses
Publication bias
What are review studies for?
Compare studies to see if there are conflicting results, better understanding and find best available evidence
What do systematic reviews do?
Collect existing studies, review + analyse their results
What is collection procedures?
Using pre-determined search terms to look for studies in databases
What do scoping reviews do?
Identify a research question for a systematic review
Broad topic/question
Difference between coping reviews and systematic reviews
Scoping reviews - broad question
Systematic review - narrow, specific question
What is a narrative review?
Literature review
Overview of previously published works on topic
Types of experimental studies
Randomised controlled trials
Quasi-experiments
What are randomised controlled trails?
One group chosen at random to have treatment from eligible population
One group chosen at random to be control from elidgible population
What are Quasi-experiments?
Non-random assignment
Not possible to randomise due to ethical considerations e.g. cancer patients
When would Quasi-experiment be used over Randomised controlled trails?
Ethical considerations stopping randomisation
e.g. cancer patients
e.g. testing new treatment - chose patients already assigned to new and old treatment
