Study design: A research primer for low- and middle-income countries

Title

Study design: A research primer for low- and middle-income countries

Creator

Graham CA; Simon EL; Knott J

Publisher

African Journal Of Emergency Medicine

Date

2020
1905-07

Description

Study design is critical to ensure that research questions are answered in an appropriate and rational manner for all aspects of health, but particularly in emergency care. Appropriate study design selection is one of the most critical decisions to make at the earliest stage of a research project; once this is clear, much of the methodology and sample size estimations should be straightforward. Selection of an appropriate study design is fundamental to good research and deserves careful consideration at the outset of any research project. The classic gold standard for study design is the double-blind randomised clinical trial, but it is often not possible to achieve this ideal in the busy clinical emergency environment or with the resources available. Descriptive studies are common in emergency care; they include retrospective clinical records reviews, prospective cohort studies and case-control studies. Case reports and surveys can be a useful introduction to research for novice researchers. When sufficient empirical evidence on a topic exists, results of similar studies can be combined in systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses to pool the results from multiple studies to determine stronger evidence for or against an intervention or treatment, but these techniques require specialist expertise and statistical skills.

Subject

Emergency medicine; Research methods; Study design

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Format

journalArticle

Search for Full-text

Users with a NEOMED Library login can search for full-text journal articles at the following url: https://libraryguides.neomed.edu/home

Pages

S115-S119

Issue

2

Volume

10

ISSN

2211-419X

NEOMED College

NEOMED College of Medicine

NEOMED Department

Department of Emergency Medicine

Update Year & Number

January 2021 List

Affiliated Hospital

Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital

Citation

Graham CA; Simon EL; Knott J, “Study design: A research primer for low- and middle-income countries,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed November 3, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/11529.