[The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology [STROBE] statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies]

(Declaración de la Iniciativa STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology): directrices para la comunicación de estudios observacionales.)

Full Abstract

Much biomedical research is observational. The reporting of such research is often inadequate, which hampers the assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and of a study's generalisability. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) initiative developed recommendations on what should be included in an accurate and complete report of an observational study. We defined the scope of the recommendations to cover three main study designs:
cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. We convened a 2-day workshop in September, 2004, with methodologists, researchers, and journal editors to draft a che-cklist of items. This list was subsequently revised during several meetings of the coordinating group and in e-mail discussions with the larger group of STROBE contributors, taking into account empirical evidence and methodological considerations. The workshop and the subsequent iterative process of consultation and revision resulted in a checklist of 22 items (the STROBE statement) that relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections of articles. 18 items are common to all three study designs and four are specific for cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies. A detailed explanation and elaboration document is published separately and is freely available on the websites of PLoS Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Epidemiology. We hope that the STROBE statement will contribute to improving the quality of reporting of observational studies.

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Author information

Author/s: von Elm, Erik (E); Altman, Douglas G (DG); Egger, Matthias (M); Pocock, Stuart J (SJ); Gøtzsche, Peter C (PC); Vandenbroucke, Jan P (JP); Iniciativa STROBE;

Affiliation: Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Berna, Switzerland. strobe@ispm.unibe.ch

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Consensus Development Conference; English Abstract; Guideline; Journal Article

Journal: Gaceta sanitaria / S.E.S.P.A.S (Gac Sanit), published in Spain. (Language: spa)

Reference: -2008 Mar-Apr; vol 22 (issue 2) : pp 144-50

Dates: Created 2008/05/26; Completed 2008/09/15; Revised 2008/10/28;

PMID: 18420014, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/9/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Gac Sanit. 2008 Mar-Apr;22(2):87-9. (PMID: 18420004)

ErratumIn: Gac Sanit. 2008 Jul-Aug;22(4):391.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Cross-Sectional Studies
Epidemiology - standards
Publishing - standards

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