Occupational Health And Safety Principles: Research- Done Flashcards
What do you need to conduct research?
- Thoughtful clinical observations
- Knowledge about research methods
- Data about health, exposure and preventive interventions
- Computer resources
- Departmental/company support
- Expertise and team resources
Why conduct research
- To prevent occupational illnesses, injuries and disability
- To reduce financial and personal costs related to these events
- To contribute knowledge development in OH nursing
- To advance your own practice in OH nursing
Characteristics of science
- Goal is understanding and explanation
- Mode of inquiry and problem solving
- Methodological and organized
- Replication of findings
- Dissemination of information
Epidemiology
The study of the distribution and determinants of health related states and events in specified populations and the application of this study to the control of health problems
Most commonly used method for the study of work related illnesses and injuries
Epidemiology
Key steps in the research process
- Research question or problem
- Review of literature
- Study design
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Interpretation of results
- Report preparation
- Dissemination of research
- Application to practice
Components of research question or problem
- What am I trying to understand
- Identify and delineate a concept
- Describe relationship between concepts
Ways to describe relationships between concepts
- Simple association
2. Causal association
Components of causal association
- Temporal relationship
2. Confounding factors
Sources for review of literature (basic)
- Library databases of professional journals
2. NIOSH and other agency reports
Types of study design
- Cross-sectional/prevalence study
- Case control study
- Cohort study
- Experimental/quasi-experimental study
- Qualitative studies
Cross-sectional/prevalence study
A study that examines the relationship between diseases (or other health characteristics) and other variables of interest as they exist in a defined population at one particular time
Case control study
A study in which a series of persons with a disease (cases) are compared to a group without the disease (controls) as to characteristics (exposure or risk factors) which might predict or cause the disease
Cohort study
A study in which persons who are initially free of the disease or outcome condition under study, but who vary related to one or more factors (exposure or risk factors) are followed over a period of time (longitudinal) and observed for the occurrence of the disease or condition
Types of cohort study
- Retrospective
2. Prospective
Retrospective cohort study
Longitudinal, but following subjects from one point in time in the past to another point in the past
Generally know who has developed the outcome condition
Prospective cohort study
Longitudinal, but begins in the present and follows subjects into the future
Generally do not know who will develop the outcome condition
Experimental/quasi-experimental study
A type of cohort study in which persons (experimental group vs control group) vary based on whether they have received an intervention (manipulation)
Types of data that could be collected
- Health data
- Exposure data
- Intervention data
Sources of health data
- Medical records
- Worker compensation reports
- Health insurance records
- Personnel records
- Union records
- Original data
Types of medical records that can be used in research
- Pre-placement physicals
- Medical surveillance
- Clinic visits
- OSHA logs
Types of worker compensation reports that can be used in research
- Medical opinions
2. Legal findings
Types of original data that can be used in research
- Surveys
- Interview
- Observation
Sources of exposure data
- Biological monitoring data
- Environmental exposure data
- Personnel records
- Medical records
Intervention data
Data that validate that intervention was delivered the way you expected to the people you expected
Types of data analysis
- Measures of rates
2. Measures of association
Types of measures of rates
- Incidence rate
- Prevalence rate
- Crude rates
- Characteristic of specific rate
- Adjusted or standardized rate
Incidence rate
- Rate of change from non-diseased state to the diseased state among persons at risk
- Numerator is only new cases
- Denominator is restricted to those at risk of becoming a new case
Prevalence rate
- Proportion of the population that has a condition at some given time
- Numerator is number of existing cases at a given point in time
- Denominator is the best estimate of the population at risk at the same point in time
Crude rates
Summary rate based in the actual number of events in a total population over a given time
Adjusted or standardized rate
Summary rates that have undergone statistical transformation to permit fair comparison between groups differing in some characteristic that may affect the risk of disease
Types of measures of association
- Rate ratio
- Odds ratio
- Prevalence rate ratio
- Pearson product moment correlation
Rate ratio
- RR
- aka relative risk or risk ratio
- RR= incidence exposed/ incidence unexposed
Odds ratio
- OR
- aka relative odds, cross product ratio
Odds
The probability of occurrence of an event to that of nonoccurrence
Disease odds ratio
The ratio of the odds in favor of disease among the exposed to the odds in favor of disease among the unexposed
Prevalence rate ratio
- PRR
- PRR= prevalence exposed/ prevalence unexposed
Pearson Product Moment Correlation
Estimate of the relationship between variable scores based on scores for those two variables for the sample
Types of interpretation of results
- Alternative explanations
2. Collaborative research
Ways to disseminate research
- Publication
- Presentation
- Teaching
- Intraorganizational reports
