Research Methods 1

Question 1

clinical decisons should be based on

Answer 1

best evidence

Question 2

what determines the nature/source of evidence needed

Answer 2

the problem

Question 3

the best evidence is

Answer 3

integrative

Question 4

what 4 things should evidence be

Answer 4

identified, integrated, appraised and applied

Question 5

what should be continuously evaluated ?

Answer 5

performance

Question 6

what 3 things does evidence based medicine incorporate

Answer 6

1. clinician expertise and judgment
2. hierarchy of medical research evidence
3. patient values, preferences and experiences

Question 7

what does research ethics govern

Answer 7

the standards of conduct for researchers

Question 8

what do research ethics protect?

Answer 8

the dignity, rights and welfare of human and animal research participants

Question 9

Research ethics approval is provided by a committee…

Answer 9

1. who review a research protocol
2. to ensure appropriate ethical standards are being upheld

Question 10

which studies require research ethical approvals?

Answer 10

1. studies involving human/animal participantsif-
2. gathering novel data or information
3. creating knowledge that can be generalised beyond the participant sample or setting

Question 11

which projects do not require ethical approvals

Answer 11

1. Clinical Audit, as per service evaluation, but evaluating service AGAINST A BENCHMARK (e.g. national standard)
2. Service Evaluations/Service Improvement/ Quality Improvement, Finds out something about THAT service which can be/is used to improve THAT service

Question 12

what is exposure

Answer 12

risk factor for disease/outcome e.g. gender

Question 13

what is outcome

Answer 13

it is the disease, condition or event of interest e.g. depression

Question 14

prevalence

Answer 14

number of people who have disease at given time/number of people at risk of having disease at given time

Question 15

Why might we be interested in prevalence

Answer 15

1. informing clinical diagnosis
2. understanding the disease/condition and its risk factors (exposures) and outcomes
3. informing prevention and public health interventions
4. informing service planning and commissioning

Question 16

what is a cross sectional study

Answer 16

• it takes place at a single point in time
• it does not involve manipulating variable but rather, a defined population
• is surveyed to measure that variable of interest
• considers sveral characteristics at once
• prevalence is reported for the sample and/or subgroups based on exposure status

Question 17

strengths of a cross-sectional study

Answer 17

Can compare prevalence in exposed and non-exposed to risk factors
Quick and inexpensive study type
Can be used to initially explore/inform a hypothesis, prior to another type of study

Question 18

weaknesses of cross sectional studies

Answer 18

Not suitable for rare exposures/outcomes
Cannot separate cause (exposure) and effect (outcome) as they are measured at the same time
Cannot measure rate of new cases arising and any changes therein

Question 19

strengths of primary cross sectional data

Answer 19

+ Control over how variable/s of interest measured

Question 20

weaknesses of primary cross sectional data

Answer 20

More expensive and time-consuming
Difficult to achieve representative sample

Question 21

strengths of secondary cross sectional data

Answer 21

+ Cheap
+ If anonymous, minimal to no ethical/governance approval needed

Question 22

weaknesses of secondary cross sectional data

Answer 22

Limited by what data already gathered
Poor accuracy and missing data