Clinical Epidemiology

In the current era of evidence-based medicine, clinical epidemiology is increasingly recognized as an essential tool in the critical appraisal of available evidence and the design of new studies. Clinical Epidemiology: Principles, Methods, and Applications for Clinical Research is a comprehensive resource that introduces the reader to the basics of clinical epidemiology and explores the principles and methods that can be used to obtain quantitative evidence on the effects of interventions and on the diagnosis, etiology, and prognosis of disease. The everyday challenges of clinical research and the quantitative knowledge required to practice medicine are also examined, making this book a valuable reference for both graduate and undergraduate students in medicine and related disciplines, as well as for professionals involved in the design and conduct of clinical research. Key features: · Worked-out examples from daily clinical practice included in all sections. · Relevant clinical research that can be used as exercises. · Several chapters devoted to research assessing the main and adverse effects of interventions, including introductions to clinical trials. · Common study designs (such as meta-analyses, case-control studies and randomized trials), as well as elementary data-analytical issues. Principles and Methods of Clinical Epidemiology explores the challenges clinicians face in daily practice and the quantitative knowledge required to practice medicine. An important distinction is made between research directed at unraveling causality (notably etiologic research and studies addressing the effects of interventions) and descriptive research aimed at predicting the presence (diagnostic research) or consequences of disease (prognostic research). The book is intended for both the users of clinical research findings (i.e. those practicing medicine and related disciplines such as pharmacy, health sciences, nursing sciences, and veterinary medicine) and those involved in the design and conduct of applied clinical research. Also future "users" and "do-ers" of applied clinical research (notably undergraduate students and PhD fellows in medicine and related disciplines) will benefit from the book. Teachers of clinical epidemiology will find the book a valuable reference with their classes.