Translations:Advanced Field Epi:Manual 1 - Disease Investigation/474/en
| Study type | Characteristics | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptive | * Observational * Describe patterns of disease in the population | * Relatively quick and easy * Can generate hypotheses on possible risk factors for further investigation * Doesn't require random sampling or high degree of rigour | * Doesn't support hypothesis testing or inference for possible risk factors * Can't estimate prevalence or incidence or exposure proportions * Subject to inherent biases and errors because of the nature of the data |
| Cross-sectional | * Observational * Observation at point in time * Outcome/exposure not considered in selection | * Disease prevalence in exposed and unexposed populations can be estimated * Exposure proportions can be estimated * Relatively quick and cost-effective * Can study multiple factors at once | * Unsuited to investigating rare diseases * Less useful for acute diseases * May be difficult to control potential confounders * Incidence cannot be estimated * May be difficult to determine causality * May be problems with reliability of data/recall for historical data |
| Case-control | * Observational * Retrospective longitudinal * Selection based on outcome status | * Good for rare diseases * Relatively rapid and cost-effective * Relatively small sample sizes * Often use existing data * Can study multiple factors at once | * May be difficult to establish causality * Can't estimate prevalence or incidence or exposure proportions * Rely on access to historical data or recall * Difficult to validate data * May be affected by variables for which data is not collected * Selection of controls often difficult |
| Cohort | * Observational * Prospective longitudinal * Selection based on exposure status | * Can calculate incidence in exposed and unexposed individuals * Can provide strong evidence for causality | * Exposed/unexposed proportions cannot be estimated * Large sample sizes, particularly for rare diseases * Can only investigate small number of potential risk factors at any one time * Long duration of follow-up * Relatively expensive and time-consuming * Loss of individuals to follow-up * May be difficult to control potential confounders |
| Field/clinical trials | * Intervention * Longitudinal * Randomised selection | * Relatively quick * Good for helping establish causation * Usually strong internal validity * Relatively small sample size and usually short duration * Can't estimate incidence/prevalence | * May be problems with external validity, particularly to diverse target population * Can be expensive depending on the intervention and situation * Requires significant cooperation and rigorous management |