Types of Research Studies
Quantitative
- most prevalent method
- deriving meaning from statistical analysis
- apply or generalize knowledge from a smaller sample of subjects to a larger population
- produce knowledge about very precise topics
Qualitative
- systematic approach used to describe and promote understanding of human experiences related to health
- method designed for discovery of a phenomenon
- important for the complex study of humans
- grounded theory
- describe a social process
- ethnography
- cultural perspectives
- phenomenology
- "lived experience"
Value: 1
Considerations for Research Study Designs
- Determine how data will be collected
- Who the data will be collected from?
- How the data will be analyzed to answer a specific research question?
Research Study Design
Case Reports
- Examines a single unit in its own environment
- Quantitative, qualitative or both
Cohort Study
- a group of people are identified who are at risk for experiencing a particular event
- large sample followed over time; part of the group experiences event, factors associated with the event are examined
Pilot Studies
- small scale to identify the strengths and the limitations of a planned larger scale study
- preliminary research to test design, methodology and feasibility of a larger study
- used to determine feasibility of using interventions and to discover preliminary trends in outcomes
Randomized Controlled Trials
- subjects are randomized to groups
Systematic Review
-
review and analysis of randomized controlled trials
Meta Analysis
- Multiple research studies on a specific topic are reviewed and analyzed
- enlarges power of results and allows more confident generalization
Levels of Evidence
From reading a professional journal to performing an advanced search in a database, a PTA can evaluate the level of evidence available for a research (foreground) question.
