TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 13. Interpretation of Epidemiologic Literature A1 - Greenberg, Raymond S. A1 - Daniels, Stephen R. A1 - Flanders, W. Dana A1 - Eley, John William A1 - Boring, John R. PY - 2005 T2 - Medical Epidemiology, 4e AB - The literature on a topic of clinical interest often includes conflicting or inconclusive studies, thereby requiring the development of critical skills for interpreting the results. A systematic approach to evaluating the features of individual studies can provide thoroughness and consistency to a review of the literature. The evaluation of an individual study should include the research hypothesis, the study design, the predictor and outcome variables, the methods of analysis, possible sources of bias, and interpretation of results. In considering whether a statistical association is likely to represent a causal relationship, one should consider the strength of the association, the presence of a dose-response trend, correct timing of events, consistency across studies, and biological plausibility. A meta-analysis is a quantitative systematic review in which the results of multiple studies are combined to obtain a precise, and hopefully unbiased, estimate of the association under study. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=546399 ER -