Abstract
Observational studies compare outcomes among subjects with and without an exposure of interest, without intervention from study investigators. Observational studies can be designed as a prospective or retrospective cohort study or as a case-control study. In healthcare epidemiology, these observational studies often take advantage of existing healthcare databases, making them more cost-effective than clinical trials and allowing analyses of rare outcomes. This paper addresses the importance of selecting a well-defined study population, highlights key considerations for study design, and offers potential solutions including biostatistical tools that are applicable to observational study designs.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1141-1146 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Infection control and hospital epidemiology |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2016 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Epidemiology
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases