Descriptive Studies Flashcards
what are types of descriptive studies
case reports and case series
cross-sectional
correlational (ecologic)
what are descriptive studies useful for
generating hypotheses which are then tested using analytical study design
what describes descriptive studies
where
who
when disease occurs
what do descriptive study patterns identify
potential causal factors for disease
what are variations in descriptive study trends affected by
changes in diagnostic techniques
improved survival, older population
why are descriptive studies favorable
relatively inexpensive
used when little known about a disease
less time-consuming than analytic
easy to collect information
what has the goal of these studies are to describe the occurrence of disease in populations and generate hypotheses
descriptive studies
what is one that seeks to ID and explain the causes of disease and usually assign a numerical value to the effect of a potential risk factor
analytical
what is the purpose of a case report
describe a single case/ group of cases
may lead to formulation of a new hypothesis as often it’s first report of a new disease
what can show a case report happening repeatedly
a case series
what is the purpose of a case series
identifies common features among a minimum of 5 cases and describes patterns of variability among them
what are the weakness of case reports
no comparison or population reference thus could not generalize the findings
what kind of studies are done when exposure and disease are assessed at the same time
cross-sectional studies
what is the purpose of presenting data
obtain diagnostic data and disease status for all the animals at that point in time
what is the exposure measured that is hypothesized to effect the occurrence of disease
independent variable
