"Research" It!
What is a research question?
A subset of the population of interest is often referred to by this term
What is a sample?
An investigator wants to assess the association between caffeine consumption and impaired glucose tolerance, a precursor to diabetes. A study is planned to include 70 participants. Each participant will be surveyed with regard to their daily caffeine consumption. In addition, each participant will submit a blood sample that will be used to measure glucose level. Identify the type of study proposed.
What is a cross-sectional study?
An inactive pill, powder, or liquid that has no treatment value; often given to the control group.
The measure of uncertainty in a biostatistician’s calculation of a particular outcome
What is the margin of error?
An investigator wants to assess whether smoking is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Electronic medical records at a local hospital will be used to identify 50 patients with pancreatic cancer. One hundred patients who are similar but free of pancreatic cancer will also be selected. Each participant’s medical record will be analyzed for smoking history. Identify the type of study proposed.
What is a cohort study?
This sampling strategy is based on chance by which each participant has an equal chance of selection.
What is randomization?
The distortion of the effect of a risk factor on an outcome
What is confounding?
An investigator wants to assess whether smoking is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Electronic medical records at a local hospital will be used to identify 50 patients with pancreatic cancer. One hundred patients who are similar but free of pancreatic cancer will also be selected. Each participant’s medical record will be analyzed for smoking history. Identify the type of study proposed.
What is a Case-Control Study?
These parameters disallow individuals from participating in the study based on specific characteristics; "Sorry Charley"
What is exclusion criteria?
A risk ratio (relative risk) lower than 1 indicates this phenomenon
What is a protective factor or decreased risk?
An orthopedic surgeon observes that many of his patients coming in for total knee replacement surgery played organized sports before the age of 10. He plans to collect more extensive data on participation in organized sports from four patients undergoing knee replacement surgery and to report the findings. Identify the type of study proposed.
What is a case series?
This measurement helps determine the degree to which a study produces consistent results each time its performed.
What is reliability?
This long-term, multigenerational study is designed to identify common factors or characteristics that contribute to cardiovascular disease.
What is The Framingham Heart Study
Be careful! The ethics committee might come after you for randomly assigning participants to groups in this type of experimental study.
What is a quasi-experimental design/study?