A Concise Guide to Observational Studies in Healthcare PDF Download

Author: Allan Hackshaw
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470658673
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
A Concise Guide to Observational Studies in Healthcare provides busy healthcare professionals with an easy-to-read introduction and overview to conducting, analysing and assessing observational studies. It is a suitable introduction for anyone without prior knowledge of study design, analysis or conduct as the important concepts are presented throughout the text. It provides an overview to the features of design, analyses and conduct of observational studies, without using mathematical formulae, or complex statistics or terminology and is a useful guide for researchers conducting their own studies, those who participate in studies co-ordinated by others, or who read or review a published report of an observational study. Examples are based on clinical features of people, biomarkers, lifestyle habits and environmental exposures, and evaluating quality of care.

Author: Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (U.S.)
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 1587634236
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
This User’s Guide is a resource for investigators and stakeholders who develop and review observational comparative effectiveness research protocols. It explains how to (1) identify key considerations and best practices for research design; (2) build a protocol based on these standards and best practices; and (3) judge the adequacy and completeness of a protocol. Eleven chapters cover all aspects of research design, including: developing study objectives, defining and refining study questions, addressing the heterogeneity of treatment effect, characterizing exposure, selecting a comparator, defining and measuring outcomes, and identifying optimal data sources. Checklists of guidance and key considerations for protocols are provided at the end of each chapter. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews. More more information, please consult the Agency website: www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov)

Author: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality/AHRQ
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 1587634333
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
This User’s Guide is intended to support the design, implementation, analysis, interpretation, and quality evaluation of registries created to increase understanding of patient outcomes. For the purposes of this guide, a patient registry is an organized system that uses observational study methods to collect uniform data (clinical and other) to evaluate specified outcomes for a population defined by a particular disease, condition, or exposure, and that serves one or more predetermined scientific, clinical, or policy purposes. A registry database is a file (or files) derived from the registry. Although registries can serve many purposes, this guide focuses on registries created for one or more of the following purposes: to describe the natural history of disease, to determine clinical effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of health care products and services, to measure or monitor safety and harm, and/or to measure quality of care. Registries are classified according to how their populations are defined. For example, product registries include patients who have been exposed to biopharmaceutical products or medical devices. Health services registries consist of patients who have had a common procedure, clinical encounter, or hospitalization. Disease or condition registries are defined by patients having the same diagnosis, such as cystic fibrosis or heart failure. The User’s Guide was created by researchers affiliated with AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, particularly those who participated in AHRQ’s DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions About Effectiveness) program. Chapters were subject to multiple internal and external independent reviews.

Author: Allan Hackshaw
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444356666
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Clinical trials have revolutionized the way disease is prevented, detected and treated, and early death avoided, and they continue to be an expanding area of research. They are central to the work of pharmaceutical companies, and there are many academic and public sector organizations that conduct trials on a wide variety of interventions, including drugs, devices, surgical techniques, and changes in behaviour and lifestyle. A Concise Guide to Clinical Trials provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-read overview of the design, conduct and analysis of trials. It requires no prior knowledge on the subject as the important concepts are introduced throughout. There are chapters that distinguish between the different types of trials, and an introduction to systematic reviews, health-related quality of life and health economic evaluation. The book also covers the ethical and legal requirements in setting up a clinical trial due to an increase in governance responsibilities and regulations. This practical guidebook is ideal for busy clinicians and other health professionals who do not have enough time to attend courses or search through extensive textbooks. It will help anyone involved in undertaking clinical research, or those reading about trials. The book is aimed at: Those wishing to learn about clinical trials for the first time, or as a quick reference guide, for example as part of a taught course on clinical trials Health professionals who wish to conduct their own trials, or participate in other people’s studies People who work in pharmaceutical companies, grant funding organisations, or regulatory agencies

Author: Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena
Publisher: Class Professional Publishing
ISBN: 1859599796
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Bringing together a team of leading international experts in the field of research, this book provides an up-to-date and accessible overview of applied research methods in the prehospital environment. Written to support the needs of the paramedicine, emergency medicine and wider healthcare communities in this rapidly advancing research setting, the authors introduce the key areas of research design and methods, evidence-based practice, ethics and quality improvement for both the novice and the more advanced researcher. Relevant examples of prehospital research are also included to fully explain and illustrate the key approaches. High-quality, robust evidence is of the utmost importance to inform prehospital clinical practice and ensure better patient care. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in undertaking research within the prehospital or emergency care setting, including undergraduate and postgraduate students in paramedic science, medicine, nursing and allied health.

Author: Kenneth Schulz
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0702073938
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
This practical guide speaks to two audiences: those who read and those who conduct research. Clinicians are medical detectives by training. For each patient, they assemble clinical clues to establish causes of signs and symptoms. The task involves both clinical acumen and knowledge of medical research. This book helps guide clinicians through this detective work, by enabling them to make sense of research and to review medical literature critically. It will also be invaluable to researchers who conduct clinical research, particularly randomized controlled trials. Building on previously published, peer-reviewed articles from The Lancet, this handbook is essential for busy clinicians and active researchers interested in research methods. - Written by leaders in the field of clinical research who have published extensively with authorship of hundreds of articles in medical journals. - The authorship includes one of the three authors of the CONSORT guidelines for the reporting of randomized controlled trials. - The book presents the essential concepts to a wide array of topics including randomized control trials, descriptive studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, bias, and screening tests. - The book utilises a readable and humorous prose style, lightening what can be a difficult area for clinical readers. - Derived from decades of teaching clinical research in seminar settings the book will empower clinicians to make sense of, and critically appraise, current medical research and will enable researchers to enrich the quality of their work. For this Second Edition, the authors have revised and updated the original 16 chapters and added six new chapters. For busy clinicians and active researchers interested in research methods, this book provides helpful tools to derive satisfaction - indeed, fun - from clinical science.

Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309164257
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
Healthcare decision makers in search of reliable information that compares health interventions increasingly turn to systematic reviews for the best summary of the evidence. Systematic reviews identify, select, assess, and synthesize the findings of similar but separate studies, and can help clarify what is known and not known about the potential benefits and harms of drugs, devices, and other healthcare services. Systematic reviews can be helpful for clinicians who want to integrate research findings into their daily practices, for patients to make well-informed choices about their own care, for professional medical societies and other organizations that develop clinical practice guidelines. Too often systematic reviews are of uncertain or poor quality. There are no universally accepted standards for developing systematic reviews leading to variability in how conflicts of interest and biases are handled, how evidence is appraised, and the overall scientific rigor of the process. In Finding What Works in Health Care the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 21 standards for developing high-quality systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research. The standards address the entire systematic review process from the initial steps of formulating the topic and building the review team to producing a detailed final report that synthesizes what the evidence shows and where knowledge gaps remain. Finding What Works in Health Care also proposes a framework for improving the quality of the science underpinning systematic reviews. This book will serve as a vital resource for both sponsors and producers of systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research.

Author: James A. Marcum
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1474233015
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 425

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Book Description
A definitive and authoritative guide to a vibrant and growing discipline in current philosophy, The Bloomsbury Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Medicine presents an overview of the issues facing contemporary philosophy of medicine, the research methods required to understand them and a trajectory for the discipline's future. Written by world leaders in the discipline, this companion addresses the ontological, epistemic, and methodological challenges facing philosophers of medicine today, from the debate between evidence-based and person-centered medicine, medical humanism, and gender medicine, to traditional issues such as disease, health, and clinical reasoning and decision-making. Practical and forward-looking, it also includes a detailed guide to research sources, a glossary of key terms, and an annotated bibliography, as well as an introductory survey of research methods and discussion of new research directions emerging in response to the rapid changes in modern medicine. “Philosophy needs medicine', Hillel Braude argues, 'to become more relevant'. By showing how modern medicine provides philosophers with a rich source of material for investigating issues facing contemporary society, The Bloomsbury Companion to Contemporary Philosophy of Medicine introduces the opportunities medicine offers philosophers together with the resources and skills required to contribute to contemporary debates and discussions.

Author: Mark F. Smith
Publisher: Learning Matters
ISBN: 1526434024
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Packed full of essential tools and tips, this second edition is your quick-start guide to undertaking research within real world of sport. Using clear, accessible language, Smith maps an easy-to-follow journey through the research process, drawing upon the most up-to-date evidence and resources to help you select the most appropriate research approach for your project. Throughout the book you will discover: Key points that highlight important definitions and theories; Reflection points to help you make connections between key concepts and your research; Learning activities to put your newfound knowledge into practice; Further reading to explore the wider context of sport research in the real world. Featuring over thirty-five case studies of students’ and academics’ research in practice, this book is the perfect guide-by-your-side to have during your own sport research.

Author: Janet Mola Okoko
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031043944
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 481

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Book Description
This book is a compilation of more than 70 qualitative research concepts that are used by researchers and practitioners in the social sciences and humanities. The concepts include methods and methodologies applied in qualitative research in various contexts. Each concept is a standalone chapter that is authored by a researcher or practitioner who has had some scholarly experience with it. The chapters are alphabetized using the titles of the concepts to provide easy access for readers. They follow a prescribed outline which ensures homogeneity in the layout of the book. Each chapter starts with a brief historical background of the concept, followed by a concise description of the concept, and the process used in its application. Readers are then provided with the possible ways in which the concept can be used, and its benefits. Each chapter concludes by providing readers with some strengths and limitations of the concept and a list of references that authors have used in the chapter.