Design issues in case-control studies

The most difficult and most important considerations in planning the protocol of a case-control study are ascertainment of cases, selection of controls and the quality of the exposure measurement. Plans to ensure careful field work are equally important; without attention to data collection, the protocol will be meaningless. In most case-control studies, the measurement problem is magnified because one cannot implement the collection of exposure information at the beginning of follow-up, and instead must rely on interviews, existing records or extrapolation into the past. Consideration of a case-control study as an efficient way to study a cohort helps to resolve some design issues.