Observational Studies and Study Designs: An Epidemiologic Perspective

Understanding Regression Discontinuity Designs As Observational Studies

Thistlethwaite and Campbell (1960) proposed to use a “regression-discontinuity analysis” in settings where exposure to a treatment or intervention is determined by an observable score and a fixed cutoff. The type of setting they described, now widely known as the regression discontinuity (RD) design, is one where units receive a score, and a binary treatment is assigned according to a very spec...

Correct sampling in observational studies.

This article has no abstract.

Methodological considerations in observational comparative effectiveness research for implantable medical devices: an epidemiologic perspective.

Medical devices play a vital role in diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases and are an integral part of the health-care system. Many devices, including implantable medical devices, enter the market through a regulatory pathway that was not designed to assure safety and effectiveness. Several recent studies and high-profile device recalls have demonstrated the need for well-designed, vali...

Causation: An Epidemiologic Perspective (In Five Parts)

Observational epidemiologic studies of endemic waterborne risks: cohort, case-control, time-series, and ecologic studies.

Observational studies have assessed endemic waterborne risks in a number of countries. Time-series analyses associated increased water turbidity with increased gastroenteritis risks in several public water systems. Several cohort studies reported an increased risk of gastroenteritis in populations using certain public or individual water systems. Although several case-control studies found incr...