Definitions

Question 1

Define Hypothesis

Answer 1

• A prediction of what the answer to the research question may be.
• stated at the outset of a piece of work
• once data have been collected, carefully chosen statistical tests are able to test the validity of the hypothesis.

Question 2

Define Paired

Answer 2

When two data-sets come from the same individual

Question 3

Define Primary Outcome measure

Answer 3

the outcome that a researcher considers to be the most important among the different outcomes that are to be examined in the study.

Question 4

Define Randomised Controlled Trials

Answer 4

A study in which people are allocated at random (by chance alone) to receive one of several clinical interventions. One of these interventions is the standard of comparison or control. The control may be a standard practice, a placebo (“sugar pill”), or no intervention at all.

Question 5

Define Systematic Reviews

Answer 5

A systematic review summarises the results of available carefully designed healthcare studies (controlled trials) and provides a high level of evidence on the effectiveness of healthcare interventions.

Question 6

Define Meta-analyses

Answer 6

A quantitative, formal, epidemiological study design used to systematically assess the results of previous research to derive conclusions about that body of research.

Question 7

Define Case control studies

Answer 7

A study that:

• compares patients who have a disease or outcome of interest (cases) with patients who do not have the disease or outcome (controls),
• and looks back retrospectively to compare how frequently the exposure to a risk factor is present in each group
• to determine the relationship between the risk factor and the disease.

Case control studies are observational because no intervention is attempted and no attempt is made to alter the course of the disease.

Question 8

Define Relative risk

Answer 8

The ratio of the probability of an event occurring (i.e. skeletal fracture) in the treatment group to the probability of the event occurring in the comparison, placebo group.

Question 9

Define Rationale

Answer 9

A rationale is the reason for doing something. It is often important to tell the reader why a certain piece of work is warranted (and therefore not a waste of time, energy and money). The rationale may be obvious (e.g. The rationale for this study is…) or more subtle (e.g. this study addresses an important gap in the literature…).

Question 10

How is Technical language used?

Answer 10

Abbreviations are used throughout medical practice and the scientific literature. In journal articles.

• usually acceptable to use established discipline-specific abbreviations and acronyms without definition (e.g. COPD). - Some journals publish lists to help authors.
• It is good practice, however, to always define terminology .

Question 11

Define Odds ratio

Answer 11

A measure of association between an exposure and an outcome or the odds of an outcome in the treatment group divided by odds of an outcome in the control group.

If the outcome is negative, an effective treatment will have an odds ratio <1;

If the outcome is positive, an effective treatment will have an odds ratio >1.