Clinical Epidemiology Evidence Based Medicine

Using clinical examples and citing liberally from the peer-reviewed literature, this book shows how statistical priniciples can improve medical decisions.

This comprehensive text focuses on reasoning, critical thinking and pragmatic decision making in medicine. Based on the author’s extensive experience and filled with definitions, formulae, flowcharts and checklists, this fully revised second edition continues to provide invaluable guidance to the crucial role that clinical epidemiology plays in the expanding field of evidence-based medicine. Key Features: • Considers evidence-based medicine as a universal initiative common to all health sciences and professions, and all specialties within those disciplines • Demonstrates how effective practice is reliant on proper foundations, such as clinical and fundamental epidemiology, and biostatistics • Introduces the reader to basic epidemiological methods, meta-analysis and decision analysis • Shows that structured, modern, argumentative reasoning is required to build the best possible evidence and use it in practice and research • Outlines how to make the most appropriate decisions in clinical care, disease prevention and health promotion Presenting a range of topics seldom seen in a single resource, the innovative blend of informal logic and structured evidence-based reasoning makes this book invaluable for anyone seeking broad, in-depth and readable coverage of this complex and sometimes controversial field.

‘Clinical epidemiology’ is now widely promoted and taught as a ‘basic science’ of Evidence-Based Medicine, of clinical EBM to be specific. This book, however, is mostly about that which Miettinen takes to be the necessary substitute for this now-so-fashionable subject – namely, Theory of Clinical Medicine together with its subordinate Theory of Clinical Research. The leit motif in all of this is Miettinen’s perception of the need, and opportunity, to bring major improvements into clinical medicine in this Information Age, now that theoretical progress has made feasible the development of practice-guiding Expert Systems for it. Parts of this text constitute essential reading for whoever is expected, or otherwise inclined, to study – or teach – ‘clinical epidemiology,’ and the same is true of those who set policy for the education of future clinicians; but practically all of it is essential reading for future – and current – academics in the various disciplines of clinical medicine. After all, the text is the result of a concentrated effort, over a half-century no less, to really understand both clinical and community medicine and the research to advance the knowledge-base of these. Research epidemiologists, too, will find this text interesting and instructive.

Translating the evidence from the bedside topopulations This sixth edition of the best-selling Epidemiology,Evidence-based Medicine and Public Health Lecture Notes equipsstudents and health professionals with the basic tools required tolearn, practice and teach epidemiology and health prevention in acontemporary setting. The first section, ‘Epidemiology’, introduces thefundamental principles and scientific basis behind work to improvethe health of populations, including a new chapter on geneticepidemiology. Applying the current and best scientific evidence totreatment at both individual and population level is intrinsicallylinked to epidemiology and public health, and has been introducedin a brand new second section: ‘Evidence-basedMedicine’ (EBM), with advice on how to incorporate EBMprinciples into your own practice. The third section, 'PublicHealth', introduces students to public health practice, includingstrategies and tools used to prevent disease, prolong life, reduceinequalities, and includes global health. Thoroughly updated throughout, including new studies and casesfrom around the globe, key learning features include: Learning objectives and key points in every chapter Extended coverage of critical appraisal and datainterpretation A brand new self-assessment section of SAQs and’True/False’ questions for each topic A glossary to quickly identify the meaning of key terms, all ofwhich are highlighted for study and exam preparation Further reading suggestions on each topic Whether approaching these topics for the first time, starting aspecial study module or placement, or looking for a quick-referencesummary, this book offers medical students, junior doctors, andpublic health students an invaluable collection of theoretical andpractical information.

Jeanne Daly traces the development of evidence-based medical practices from the 1970s until the present day.

For researchers, clinicians, and other health professionals looking to select, develop, or apply medical tests.

The Third Edition of this popular text focuses on clinical-practice research methods. It is written by clinicians with experience in generating and answering researchable questions about real-world clinical practice and health care—the prevention, treatment, diagnosis, prognosis, and causes of diseases, the measurement of quality of life, and the effects of innovations in health services. The book has a problem-oriented and protocol-based approach and is written at an introductory level, emphasizing key principles and their applications. A bound-in CD-ROM contains the full text of the book to help the reader locate needed information.

Focusing on improving the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of human disease, this book takes on the issues of research design, measurement, and evaluation which are critical to clinical epidemiology. This second edition of Clinical Epidemiology: Practice and Methods opens with how best to frame a clinical research question, the ethics associated with doing a research project in humans, and the definition of various biases that occur in clinical research. From there, it continues by examining issues of design, measurement, and analysis associated with various research designs, including determination of risk in longitudinal studies, assessment of therapy in randomized controlled clinical trials, and evaluation of diagnostic tests, and then delves into the more specialized area of clinical genetic research, before concluding with basic methods used in evidence-based decision making including critical appraisal, aggregation of multiple studies using meta-analysis, health technology assessment, clinical practice guidelines, development of health policy, translational research, how to utilize administrative databases, and knowledge translation. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include the kind of detail and practical advice to ensure real world success. Comprehensive and authoritative, Clinical Epidemiology: Practice and Methods, Second Edition is intended to educate researchers on how to undertake clinical research and should be helpful not only to medical practitioners but also to basic scientists who want to extend their work to humans, to allied health professionals interested in scientific evaluation, and to trainees in clinical epidemiology.