BMAT Research & Evidence-Based Practice 3

Question 1

In a meta-analysis, high heterogeneity (I² = 85%) indicates:

Accepted Answer

Substantial variation in results exists across studies

Answer

I² above 75% is considered high heterogeneity, meaning study results vary considerably beyond what chance alone would predict.

Question 2

A case-control study is particularly well-suited for investigating:

Accepted Answer

Rare diseases with long latency periods

Answer

Case-control studies efficiently study rare diseases because cases are sampled based on outcome, not waiting for events to occur.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of confounding in an epidemiological study?

Accepted Answer

Alcohol consumption is associated with both smoking and lung cancer, masking the true effect

Answer

Confounding occurs when a third variable (e.g., smoking) is associated with both the exposure and the outcome, distorting the apparent relationship.

Question 4

Which level of evidence is generally considered highest in the evidence hierarchy for questions about treatment effectiveness?

Accepted Answer

Systematic review of RCTs

Answer

Systematic reviews that pool multiple high-quality RCTs provide the most reliable evidence about treatment effectiveness.

Question 5

Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis in an RCT means:

Accepted Answer

All randomized participants are analyzed in their assigned groups regardless of compliance

Answer

ITT preserves randomization and provides a conservative, pragmatic estimate of treatment effectiveness under real-world conditions.

BMAT - Assessment Practice Test