Observational Cohort Studies Flashcards
1
Q
Define Observational Cohort Study
A
Investigator observes a group of participants with varying levels of an exposure (such as a drug, environmental condition, health behavior) and then follows up those participants for a period of time to examine the incidence of one or more specific outcomes.
2
Q
Why are observational cohort studies considered inferior to randomized trials?
A
Especially for causality, because well designed and well executed trials generally have strong internal validity, where as observational studies may have challenges to their internal validity. Especially confounding.
