Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards

Which study design is considered the gold standard for establishing causality in clinical research?

Answer: Randomized controlled trial (RCT)

RCTs use random assignment to minimize bias, making them the gold standard for establishing cause-and-effect relationships.

In evidence-based practice, what does the acronym PICO stand for?

Answer: Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome

PICO stands for Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome, and is used to frame clinical research questions.

A medical researcher wants to study the long-term effects of a new medication by following a group of patients over 10 years. Which study design is most appropriate?

Answer: Prospective cohort study

A prospective cohort study follows participants forward in time, making it ideal for studying long-term outcomes of exposures or treatments.

What is the primary purpose of blinding in a clinical trial?

Answer: To minimize bias from participant or researcher expectations

Blinding prevents participants and/or researchers from knowing treatment assignments, reducing performance and detection bias.

Which level of evidence is typically assigned to expert opinion and case reports?

Answer: Level V

Expert opinions and case reports sit at the lowest level (Level V) of the evidence hierarchy due to their susceptibility to bias.

A p-value of 0.03 in a research study indicates:

Answer: There is a 3% probability the observed result occurred by chance alone

A p-value of 0.03 means there is only a 3% probability of obtaining the observed result if the null hypothesis were true.

Which database is considered the primary source for peer-reviewed biomedical literature searches?

Answer: PubMed/MEDLINE

PubMed/MEDLINE, maintained by the National Library of Medicine, is the primary database for biomedical and life sciences literature.