Exam 1 Flashcards
What is clinical research?
Structured process of investigating facts & theories & exploring connections with the purpose of improving individual & public health
What are the steps of the research process?
- Identify research question
- Design the study
- Implement the study
- Analyze data
- Disseminate Findings
Describe descriptive research
- Qualitative
- Describe populations
- developmental research, normative research, descriptive surveys, case reports, historical research, qualitative research
Describe Exploratory research
- Observational
- Find relationships
- Ex.) cohort, case-control, correlational and predictive research, methodological research
Describe explanatory research
- Experimental
- Cause & effect
- Ex.) RCT, pragmatic case trials, quasi-experiments, single-subject designs
Where do research questions come from?
- Clinical experience
- Clinical theory
- Professional literature
What is the abbreviation to keep in mind when framing the clinical research question?
- PICO
What does PICO stand for?
- Population or problem
- Intervention
- Comparison or control
- Outcomes
What is a null hypothesis?
No difference
What is the difference between directional and nondirectional hypotheses?
- Directional: show a certain direction (ie increase or decrease)
- Nondirectional: Can only show there is a difference but not which way it is going
What is the difference between simple or complex hypothesis?
Simple: relationship between single dependent and single independent
Complex: multiple variables
What is a case study?
Describes an individual with a disease
What is a case series?
Describes a group of individuals with a disease
What is an ecological (population) study?
- Correlational study at a population level
- Compare average disease and exposure in several populations
What is a cross-sectional/observational study?
Describe exposure and/or disease in a population
What is a case-control study?
Compare exposure histories in people with disease (cases) and people without diseases (controls)
What is a cohort study?
Compare rates of disease in people with different exposure histories or follow a population forward (prospective) or backward (retrospective) in time
What is an experimental study?
Examine outcome after an intervention
What is a randomized control trial (RCT)?
Examine outcomes in participants assigned to intervention or control group
What are covariates?
Two variables that vary together, can be very difficult or even impossible to separate the direct effects of each on the outcome of interest
What is the independent variable?
Predictor, explanatory variable, induces or explain the change of interest
What is dependent variables?
Outcome variables
What is primary literature and give some examples?
- Original research and/or new scientific discoveries
- Immediate results of research activities
- Often includes analysis of data collected in the fields or lab
EX: Original research, dissertations, technical reports, conference proceeding