Resources

Glossary

• ACP: The process of discussion between patients affected by terminal and life limiting illness, their family members and health professionals, about treatment options and future plans for care especially in the event that they should lose mental capacity. ACP provides patients with an opportunity to make their wishes known in advance, particularly about treatments that they do not wish to receive, and where they would prefer to be cared for in the last days of life. ACP may involve informal discussions, or may be documented, but should be reviewed and updated regularly to reflect changes in individual perspectives and circumstances.
• Citation: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. It is estimated to affect about 800,000 people in the UK and involves progressive, degenerative changes to the brain which result in symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, changes in mood and difficulties in communication and coordination. Although the causes of AD are unknown, the incidence of AD increases with age. This largely accounts for the greater number of women who are affected. There is currently no cure or means of preventing AD, though treatment may slow its progression or alleviate the effects of some symptoms.

Books and Journals

Harris A.D., McGregor J.C. and Finkelstein J. (2006) The use and Interpretation of Quasi-experimental studies in medical informatics. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 13(1):16-23.
Hennekes C.H., Buring J.E. (1987) Epidemiology in Medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Smith F.G. and Smith J.E. (2003) Key topics in Clinical Research. BIOS Scientific Publishers.

Study design - Print summary

This RLO explains study design and looks at the situations in which you might apply the different types of design methodology.

Learning outcomes

By completing this resource you will:

1. Have been introduced to different types of quantitative study designs.
2. Be able to decide which type of study design is best able to answer your question and know the level and strength of evidence from a particular study design.

Please type any additional notes and comments you have on this resource in the field below: Print

Learning outcomes

By completing this resource you will:

1. Have been introduced to different types of quantitative study designs.
2. Be able to decide which type of study design is best able to answer your question and know the level and strength of evidence from a particular study design.

This resource was developed by:

RLO authors:

Fiona Bath-Hextall

Mentor:

Heather Wharrad

Developers:

Kamila Januszewicz, Liz Hilton

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