Topic A:
Case-Control Study
Faculty:
Tom Koepsell
Tom Rea
Session Goals:
Understand what types of research questions can be answered using case-control methods
Understand the theoretical basis of case-control research
Explore the strengths and limitations of case-control research
Definitions:
Case Control Study: (Syn: case comparison study, case reference study, retrospective study) A study that starts with the identification of persons with the disease (or other outcome variable) of interest, and a suitable control (comparison, reference) group of persons without the disease. The relationship of an attribute to the disease is examined by comparing the diseased and non-diseased with regard to how frequently the attribute is present or, if quantitative, the levels of the attribute, in each of the groups. Such a study can be called "retrospective" because it starts after the onset of disease and looks back to the postulated causal factors. Cases and controls in a case control study may be accumulated "prospectively;" that is, as each new case is diagnosed it is entered in the study. Nevertheless, such a study may still be called "retrospective" because it looks back from the outcome to its causes.
[Definition from: Last, JM (ed). A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, New York, 1988.]
Reading Material Provided Online:
Hayden GF, Kramer MS, Horwitz RI. The case-control study. A practical review for the clinician. JAMA. 1982;247:326-31. (to be provided)
Suggested Readings:
Schlesselman, JJ. Case-Control Studies: Design, Conduct, Analysis. New York: Oxford, 1981.
Hulley & Cummings, Designing Clinical Research, Chapter 8 (in which the strengths and weaknesses of this important design are considered, and you learn that a nested case-control study is not just for the birds …)
Topic B:
Qualitative Methods
Faculty:
Carey Jackson
John Choe
Session Goals:
Learn the types of questions best addressed through qualitative methods
Understand the basic study design in ethnographic research
Appreciate the strengths and limitations of qualitative methods
Definitions:
Qualitative Research: A method that collects data in the form of words or description rather than numbers to form the basis of analysis. The staple form of research in many social science fields.
Ethnography: The systematic recording of human cultures [Ref: Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA, 1991.]
Materials Provided for Pondering:
Handout: Steps to Evaluate Qualitative Research (to be provided)
Mutual mistrust in the medical care of drug users: the keys to the "narc" cabinet. J Gen Intern Med. 2002 May;17(5):327-33.
Suggested Reading:
Morse J, Field. Qualitative Research Methods for Health Professionals, Sage (Available from SAGE website or from University Bookstore)
Agar, M. The professional stranger: an informal introduction to ethnography. 2nd ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 1996.
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Last Updated: 06/30/05
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