Critical Appraisal of Epidemiological Studies and Clinical Trials [electronic resource].
Elwood, Mark.
Oxford : Oxford University Press,
2007.
This book presents a logical system of critical appraisal, to allow readers to evaluate studies and to carry out their own studies more effectively. This system emphasizes the central importance of cause and effect relationships. Its great strength is that it is applicable to a wide range of issues, and both to intervention trials and observational studies.This system unifies the often different approaches used in epidemiology, health services research, clinical trials, and evidence-based medicine, starting from a logical consideration of cause and effect. The author's approach to the issues o
Description based upon print version of record.
Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface and acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The importance of causal relationships in medicine and health care; Definition of causation, and types of causation; A direct test of causation: the randomized trial; Methods of counting events: incidence and prevalence; Self-test questions; References; 2. Study designs which can demonstrate and test causation; Part 1. Types of study; The relationship of study design to the definition of causation
A classification of comparative studies: classification by the groups of people comparedClassification by time relationships; More complex designs; Part 2. The strengths, weaknesses, and applications of the main study designs, and examples; Intervention trials; Observational cohort studies; case-control studies; Cross-sectional surveys; Summary of comparisons; Self-test questions; References; 3. The results obtained from studies of causation; Cohort and intervention studies; case-control studies; Surveys; General applicability of these analytical approaches; Self-test questions; References
4. Selection of subjects for studyPart 1. Principles of subject selection; Target, source, eligible, entrant, and participant populations; The distinction between internal and external validity; Selection bias and its effects; Methods of reducing selection biases; Selection of subjects for comparative studies; Selection of the comparison subjects; Assessment of selection issues in a completed study; Part 2. Application of the principles of selection of subjects to each type of study, and examples; Selection of subjects in randomized intervention trials;  intention-to-treat analysis
Selection of the subjects for a cohort studyRetrospective cohort studies; Selection of subjects for a case-control study; Comparison of study designs; Self-test questions; References; 5. Error and bias in observations; Part 1. Identifying and minimizing error and bias; Sources of error and of bias; Error: non-differential classification; Bias: differential misclassification; Bias in cohort studies; Bias in case-control studies;  recall bias; Practical issues in reducing bias and error; Assessment of bias and error in a completed study
Part 2. Measuring aspects of observation bias, and controlling for biasMeasuring the consistency of information; Assessment of the accuracy of information: sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value; ROC curves; Other measures of consistency of observations; Effects of error (non-differential misclassification) on study results; Further effects of non-differential misclassification; Differential misclassification; Self-test questions; References; 6. Confounding; Part 1. Confounding: definition and examples; Confounding in cohort and intervention studies
Confounding in case-control studies
This book presents a logical system of critical appraisal, to allow readers to evaluate studies and to carry out their own studies more effectively. This system emphasizes the central importance of cause and effect relationships. Its great strength is that it is applicable to a wide range of issues, and both to intervention trials and observational studies.This system unifies the often different approaches used in epidemiology, health services research, clinical trials, and evidence-based medicine, starting from a logical consideration of cause and effect. The author's approach to the issues o
Description based on print version record.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Clinical trials -- Evaluation.
Clinical trials.
Epidemiology -- Research -- Evaluation.
Epidemiology -- Research -- Methodology.