A Concise Guide to Observational Studies in Healthcare

Author by : Allan Hackshaw
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2015-03-02
Publisher by : John Wiley & Sons

ISBN :

Description : A Concise Guide to Observational Studies in Healthcare provides busy healthcare professionals with an easy-to-read introduction and overview to conducting, analysing and assessing observational studies. It is a suitable introduction for anyone without prior knowledge of study design, analysis or conduct as the important concepts are presented throughout the text. It provides an overview to the features of design, analyses and conduct of observational studies, without using mathematical formulae, or complex statistics or terminology and is a useful guide for researchers conducting their own studies, those who participate in studies co-ordinated by others, or who read or review a published report of an observational study. Examples are based on clinical features of people, biomarkers, lifestyle habits and environmental exposures, and evaluating quality of care....

Author by : Allan Hackshaw
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2011-09-07
Publisher by : John Wiley & Sons

ISBN :

Description : Clinical trials have revolutionized the way disease is prevented, detected and treated, and early death avoided, and they continue to be an expanding area of research. They are central to the work of pharmaceutical companies, and there are many academic and public sector organizations that conduct trials on a wide variety of interventions, including drugs, devices, surgical techniques, and changes in behaviour and lifestyle. A Concise Guide to Clinical Trials provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-read overview of the design, conduct and analysis of trials. It requires no prior knowledge on the subject as the important concepts are introduced throughout. There are chapters that distinguish between the different types of trials, and an introduction to systematic reviews, health-related quality of life and health economic evaluation. The book also covers the ethical and legal requirements in setting up a clinical trial due to an increase in governance responsibilities and regulations. This practical guidebook is ideal for busy clinicians and other health professionals who do not have enough time to attend courses or search through extensive textbooks. It will help anyone involved in undertaking clinical research, or those reading about trials. The book is aimed at: Those wishing to learn about clinical trials for the first time, or as a quick reference guide, for example as part of a taught course on clinical trials Health professionals who wish to conduct their own trials, or participate in other people’s studies People who work in pharmaceutical companies, grant funding organisations, or regulatory agencies...

Author by : Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (U.S.)
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2013-02-21
Publisher by : Government Printing Office

ISBN :

Description : This User’s Guide is a resource for investigators and stakeholders who develop and review observational comparative effectiveness research protocols. It explains how to (1) identify key considerations and best practices for research design; (2) build a protocol based on these standards and best practices; and (3) judge the adequacy and completeness of a protocol. Eleven chapters cover all aspects of research design, including: developing study objectives, defining and refining study questions, addressing the heterogeneity of treatment effect, characterizing exposure, selecting a comparator, defining and measuring outcomes, and identifying optimal data sources. Checklists of guidance and key considerations for protocols are provided at the end of each chapter. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews. More more information, please consult the Agency website: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)...

Author by : Allan Hackshaw
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2011-01-04
Publisher by : Wiley-Blackwell

ISBN :

Description : This concise guide covers the important angles of your grant application, whether for a health research project or personal training programme, and will help you be among the successful applicants. The author, a reviewer for grant funding organisations and internationally respected research scientist, gives you the benefit of his experience from both sides of the process in this easy-to-use, readable guide. The book takes you through the grant application process, explaining how to: Present the justification for the proposed project Describe the study design clearly Estimate the financial costs Understand a typical review process, and how this can influence the contents of the grant application The author provides practical advice on a range of project types (observational studies, clinical trials, laboratory experiments, and systematic reviews) to increase the chance that your application will be successful. There are also tips on what to avoid throughout the application. With generic information about application requirements, How to Write a Grant Application is ideal for healthcare professionals seeking a health services or scientific grant....

Author by : Paul R. Rosenbaum
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2009-10-22
Publisher by : Springer Science & Business Media

ISBN :

Description : An observational study is an empiric investigation of effects caused by treatments when randomized experimentation is unethical or infeasible. Observational studies are common in most fields that study the effects of treatments on people, including medicine, economics, epidemiology, education, psychology, political science and sociology. The quality and strength of evidence provided by an observational study is determined largely by its design. Design of Observational Studies is both an introduction to statistical inference in observational studies and a detailed discussion of the principles that guide the design of observational studies. Design of Observational Studies is divided into four parts. Chapters 2, 3, and 5 of Part I cover concisely, in about one hundred pages, many of the ideas discussed in Rosenbaum’s Observational Studies (also published by Springer) but in a less technical fashion. Part II discusses the practical aspects of using propensity scores and other tools to create a matched comparison that balances many covariates. Part II includes a chapter on matching in R. In Part III, the concept of design sensitivity is used to appraise the relative ability of competing designs to distinguish treatment effects from biases due to unmeasured covariates. Part IV discusses planning the analysis of an observational study, with particular reference to Sir Ronald Fisher’s striking advice for observational studies, "make your theories elaborate." The second edition of his book, Observational Studies, was published by Springer in 2002....

Author by : Walter R. Palmas
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2023-01-01
Publisher by : Springer Nature

ISBN :

Description : This concise, easy-to-read pocket guide offers medical trainees, researchers, and clinicians at every level the perfect resource on Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). Based on the author’s many years of experience teaching EBM to medical students and medical residents at Columbia University, this handy title addresses not only all the basic concepts and issues in EBM, but also takes an example-based approach and is replete with numerous illustrations. This brief book provides readers with all the tools needed to tell the good from the bad in healthcare research. It discusses every type of study design, from the assessment of diagnostic tests to clinical trials and meta-analysis. The work also introduces readers to novel methods, such as the Bayesian analysis of clinical trials. In addition, to help readers better retain the information, the guide includes thought-provoking review questions and answers in an appendix. In all, Pocket Evidence-Based Medicine: A Survival Guide for Clinicians and Students is an ideal resource for anyone who encounters statistics in their studies or career, including clinicians, researchers, trainees in medicine and graduate students in a wide range of other disciplines...

Author by : Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena
Languange Used : en
Release Date : 2022-04-11
Publisher by : Class Professional Publishing

ISBN :

Description : Bringing together a team of leading international experts in the field of research, this book provides an up-to-date and accessible overview of applied research methods in the prehospital environment. Written to support the needs of the paramedicine, emergency medicine and wider healthcare communities in this rapidly advancing research setting, the authors introduce the key areas of research design and methods, evidence-based practice, ethics and quality improvement for both the novice and the more advanced researcher. Relevant examples of prehospital research are also included to fully explain and illustrate the key approaches. High-quality, robust evidence is of the utmost importance to inform prehospital clinical practice and ensure better patient care. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in undertaking research within the prehospital or emergency care setting, including undergraduate and postgraduate students in paramedic science, medicine, nursing and allied health....