Abstract
In this chapter common research methods for epidemiological studies are considered. The concept of epidemiology is introduced and its importance is considered in terms of the common designs of such studies, and the criteria that are often used to establish causality are covered. The type of data generated by such studies is introduced along with the methods of reporting on the data by using odds ratios and relative risks, as well as simple examples of how these figures are calculated. Finally consideration is given on how to interpret the reported findings of such studies from publications.
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Further Readings
Bruce N, Pope D, Stanistreet D. Quantitative methods for health research: a practical interactive guide to epidemiology and statistics. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley; 2018.
Hulley SB, Cummings SR, Browner WS, et al. Designing clinical research. 4th revised ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2013.
Kirkwood B, Sterne J. Essential medical statistics. 2nd ed. Malden: Wiley; 2003.
Stewart A. Basic statistics and epidemiology: a practical guide. 4th ed. London: CRC Press; 2016.
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Flinton, D.M. (2020). Epidemiological Research Methods. In: Ramlaul, A. (eds) Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy Research: Skills and Strategies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37944-5_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37944-5_9
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