Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs
As introduced in the first few weeks of this course, investigators use various epidemiological study designs to study health problems and the effects of health interventions. You have examined several study designs, including descriptive designs (in Week 2) and analytic study designs that are observational (in Week 3) or experimental (this week). As a DNP student, you should be able to determine which study design would be most suitable for addressing a health problem of interest to you, as this is a foundation for evidence-based practice.
For this Discussion, you will consider which epidemiologic study design (i.e., descriptive, ecologic, cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, or experimental) is most appropriate for investigating the population health problem you selected for Assignment 1. In addition, you will consider which epidemiologic data sources you would use to examine your health problem.
To prepare:
- Reflect on the population health problem you identified in Assignment 1, which you will use for Major Assessment 7, and your early review of the literature.
- Identify a question for your study; this will help you select an appropriate design.
- Consider which epidemiologic study design (i.e., descriptive, ecologic, cross-sectional, case-control, cohort, or experimental) is most appropriate for addressing your selected health problem based upon the assumptions and basic tenets of each design.
- Determine which epidemiological design(s) would not be appropriate for your study and why.
- Also, explore the various health data resources that were presented in Chapter 5 of the course text, Epidemiology for Public Health Practice. Consider which data resources you could use for your study, assessing the strengths and limitations of those resources.
