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Pain pp 123–125Cite as

Observational Studies: Uses and Limitations

Abstract

Observational epidemiologic studies are a type of nonexperimental research in which exposure is not controlled by the investigator. Observational studies are by far the most common form of clinical research because of their relatively low complexity, cost, and ethical constraints compared to randomized trials or other forms of clinical experimentation. Bias, confounding, and issues with validity are more common in observational studies. Observational studies can be retrospective or, in some cases, prospective. Common forms of observational studies in clinical research include cross-sectional studies, ecologic studies, case-control studies, and cohort studies.

Keywords

  • Observational studies
  • Nonexperimental
  • Cohort
  • Case-control
  • Ecologic
  • Cross-sectional

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Aaron S. Hess & Alaa Abd-Elsayed

Authors
  1. Aaron S. Hess
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  2. Alaa Abd-Elsayed
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aaron S. Hess .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Alaa Abd-Elsayed

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Hess, A.S., Abd-Elsayed, A. (2019). Observational Studies: Uses and Limitations. In: Abd-Elsayed, A. (eds) Pain. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99124-5_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99124-5_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99123-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99124-5

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