[Cohort studies]

(Kohortenstudien.)

Full Abstract

This article about cohort studies is part of a methods series about study designs and their critical evaluation by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Health Technology assessment. This article aims to describe the theoretical concept of cohort studies and their typical characteristics. Furthermore, it strives to highlight advantages and disadvantages of this study type and to make suggestions for the critical evaluation of the significance and validity of cohort studies. The article gives an account about characteristics due to the observational design and ways of acquiring control groups. Problems of blurring results by selection bias and confounding are also discussed. Cohort studies are applied in situations where the effects of environmental exposures are measured and rare side effects are identified but randomised controlled studies did not show significant results because of limitations. They are also used to assess the incidence of a disease or a condition.

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Author information

Author/s: Mathis, Stefan (S); Gartlehner, Gerald (G);

Affiliation: Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Health Technology Assessment, Wien, Austria. stefan.mathis@hta.lbg.ac.at

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; English Abstract; Evaluation Studies; Journal Article

Journal: Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) (Wien Med Wochenschr), published in Austria. (Language: ger)

Reference: 2008-; vol 158 (issue 5-6) : pp 174-9

Dates: Created 2008/04/18; Completed 2008/07/03;

PMID: 18421560, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Prospective Studies
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Retrospective Studies
Selection Bias

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