quantitative methods Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is an RCT?
It is a primary research design that aims to assess the effectiveness of an intervention compared to a control
What are the strengths of RCTs?
- Prospective
- Can establish causal relationships
- Uses randomisation and blinding to increase internal validity and reduces bias
- Allows control for cofounders
What are the limitations of RCTs?
- Can be expensive and time consuming
- May be impractical if a large sample is required
- May not be ethical / can be harmful
- Blinding is not always possible
What is a cohort study?
It is an analytical observational research design which aims to follow patients forward over a period of time to assess if there is an association between an exposure of interest and an outcome.
What is the difference between a prospective and a retrospective cohort study?
Prospective cohort studies are identified in the present and followed over a period of time.
Retrospective cohort studies are identified from the past and followed up to present day.
What are the strengths of cohort studies?
- Prospective research design
- Suitable for study of rare exposures
- Clearly shows the timing of the relationship between exposure and outcome
- Useful for examination of unethical tests
- Measures the incidence
What are the limitations of cohort studies?
- Can be expensive and time consuming
- Can suffer from loss of follow ups if the study is conducted over a long period of time
- Not useful for studying rare outcomes
What is a case-control study?
It is an analytical observational research design which aims to determine if there’s a relationship between an outcome and a past exposure. It is a retrospective design.
What are the strengths of case-control studies?
- Useful for studying rare or harmful outcomes
- Can be used to investigate multiple exposures
- Useful for unethical tests
- Can be quick and cheap to conduct
What are the limitations of case-control studies?
- Retrospective research design (starts in the present and moves backwards in time)
- Prone to recall bias
- Prone to selection bias
- Results cannot prove a causal association of an exposure to an outcome
What is a cross-sectional study?
It is an observational research design which an exposure and an outcome are measured in a defined population at a given point in time.
What are the strengths of cross-sectional studies?
- Can measure prevalence
- Useful for looking at the relationships between exposures and outcomes
- Can be quick and cheap to conduct
What are the limitations of cross-sectional studies?
- You cannot tell if the exposure or outcome occurred first
- Cannot prove causal associations
What is a case report?
It is a descriptive study in which the novel management and/or the follow-up of an individual are described in detail
What are the strengths of a case report studies?
- Useful for rare diseases
- Educational for alerting communities to new diseases/adverse outcomes
- Helps generate new hypothesis with more formal research
- Can be quick and cheap to conduct
What are the limitations of case report studies?
- Descriptive, retrospective design
- Cannot measure rates, incidence or prevalence
- Cannot prove causal association
- Lacks generalisability
What is a systematic review?
It is a secondary research design that aims to locate, appraise and synthesise all the evidence on a particular topic.
What are the strengths of systematic reviews?
- Assesses and synthesises large volumes of evidence
- Aims to minimise bias in the identification and assessment of the evidence
- Can increase precision
- Represents the highest quality of evidence on a topic
- Informs decision making
What are the limitations of systematic reviews?
- Time consuming and resource intensive to conduct
- Reporting quality may vary
What is a qualitative study?
It is a descriptive research design which aims to explore participants views, beliefs or experiences of a particular phenomenon. Aims to generate hypotheses or theories.
What are the strengths of qualitative studies?
- Can provide a depth of understanding about a phenomena
- Used to generate hypothesis
- Explores explanations
- Not as dependent on sample size
What are the limitations of qualitative research?
- Time consuming and resource intensive to conduct
- Open to personal judgement and interpretation
