Related Experiment Videos
[A tool (corrected) for the critical appraisal of epidemiological cross-sectional studies]
Silvina Berra1, Josep Maria Elorza-Ricart, Maria-Dolors Estrada
1Agència d'Avaluació de Tecnologia i Recerca Mèdiques (AATRM), Barcelona, Spain. sberra@aatrm.catsalut.net
Abstract:
The aim was to develop a tool for the critical appraisal of epidemiological cross-sectional studies. Several recommendations or guidelines for assessing the strength of scientific evidence provided by observational studies were reviewed, like those from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Group, the Osteba (Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment), and the STROBE Initiative. The tool has 27 items to assess: study question or objective, participants, comparability between groups, definition and measure of main variables; analysis and confusion, results, conclusions, external validity and applicability, and conflict of interest. This tool can be used to critically appraise research papers or to rate evidence during the elaboration of systematic reviews.
Related Concept Videos
Statistical Software for Data Analysis and Clinical Trials
Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies.
Bias in Epidemiological Studies
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Introduction to Epidemiology
Statistical Methods for Analyzing Epidemiological Data