Quantitative Analytical Study Designs
(presented by Prof Ray Muller)
Venue: D3:150, Date: Thursday, 29 th September (9:00am - 12:00pm)
Please register your place with sally.mcdonald@jcu.edu.au
Contents overview:
- Experimental Studies (including topics such as choice of controls, blinding, randomisation, cross-over designs, compliance, ethics etc.)
- Observational Studies (cohort studies, case-control studies, comparative cross-sectional studies).
- The main design features and specifics of each study design will be discussed. The correct choice of a design and the calculation of respective measures of associations will be practiced in exercises.
Key learning objectives:
At the end of the workshop, the successful participant will be able to:
- differentiate between experiments and observational studies;
- differentiate between community, clinical and field trials;
- critically discuss the various possible control groups in experimental studies;
- explain randomisation; the placebo effect; blind, double-blind, and triple blind studies;
- discuss non-compliance in experimental studies; and explain the difference between analysis by intention-to-treat and analysis by compliers-only
- explain the characteristics of an observational study design;
- differentiate between forward, backward and non-directional designs;
- differentiate between prospective, retrospective and ambi-spective designs;
- detail the main characteristics of cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies;
- understand the process of matching;
- calculate and interpret relative risk, exposure odds-ratio and prevalence odds-ratio; and
- calculate and interpret difference measures.
Prior Knowledge:
A successfully completed epidemiology subject at undergraduate level will be helpful but is not essential.
Recommended Reading:
Epidemiology
by P Buttner and R Muller (Oxford University Press; 2nd Edition 2015)