Question

How do study design and your assessment of effectiveness in epidemiology affect your ability to provide accurate decision support?

Answer 1

Role of study design and assessment of effectiveness in Epidemiology in decision making process:

Epidemiology is the branch of science dealing with the control and spread of disease , bacteria, viruses , concepts etc. Study design refers to a set of methods or it is  a frame work and procedures for collecting and analysing the data on variables of a particular  area of research or a research problem etc. Different Study designs are used in Epidemiology to collect and analyse data. Along with the type of Study design, the researcher's method  of assessing the effectiveness of epidemiology can affect his ability to provide accurate decision support.

Study designs, that are used in Epidemiology are descriptive design, Cohort design, Cross- sectional, case control studies, Randomized controlled trial  etc. These  study designs can come under observational or experimental research approach and are assessing the 'Association between exposure and outcome '. Study designs affects the researcher's ability to provide accurate decision support. A Randomized Controlled trial that is well organized and designed , is considered as the strongest study design, that can able the researcher to provide accurate decision support by evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. For a decision making related to a 'Prognosis ' of a disease, the Cohort study is more suitable. The researcher can select the type of Study design based on the situation and the goal , he set. The type of study design can strongly affect the decision making process.  

For example:

* To study a rare disease with longer latency period , 'Case control study design ' is the best.

* A Cohort study can be used to find the ' association between smoking and Lung cancer ' . It helps to find out the association between the cause and outcome.  

Assessment of effectiveness in Epidemiology, also can affect the ability of a researcher to provide accurate decision support. Effectiveness assess , whether an Intervention is doing more good than harm . After assessing the effectiveness , the researcher can take a good decision or can support an accurate decision making process. For example: After assessing the effectiveness of a rule that mandates " the strict use of face mask in one State, in decreasing the spread of a particular infectious disease, when comparing with another state, where there is no mandates ", the researcher can support the ' use of face mask in public ' , if it has a positive effect.  

Thus both ' the study design ' and the ' assessment of effectiveness ' can influence the ability of a researcher to provide accurate decision support.