- Information
- AI Chat
CASP CC checklist - nil
Year 1 MB ChB (MEDI10007)
University of Bristol
Recommended for you
Preview text
####### ©Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Case Control Study Checklist 31.
11 questions to help you make sense of case control study
####### How to use this appraisal tool
####### Three broad issues need to be considered when appraising a case control study:
####### Are the results of the trial valid? (Section A)
####### What are the results? (Section B)
####### Will the results help locally? (Section C)
####### The 11 questions on the following pages are designed to help you think about these issues
####### systematically.
####### The first two questions are screening questions and can be answered quickly. If the answer to both is
####### “yes”, it is worth proceeding with the remaining questions.
####### There is some degree of overlap between the questions, you are asked to record a “yes”, “no” or “can’t
####### tell” to most of the questions. A number of italicised prompts are given after each question. These are
####### designed to remind you why the question is important. Record your reasons for your answers in the
####### spaces provided.
####### These checklists were designed to be used as educational tools as part of a workshop setting
####### There will not be time in the small groups to answer them all in detail!
©CASP This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit creativecommons/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ casp-uk
####### ©Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Case Control Study Checklist 31.
(A) Are the results of the study valid?
Screening Questions
1. Did the study address a clearly focused issue? Yes Can’t tell No
HINT: A question can be focused in terms of The population studied The risk factors studied Whether the study tried to detect a beneficial or harmful effect?
2. Did the authors use an appropriate method Yes Can’t tell No
to answer their question?
HINT: Consider Is a case control study an appropriate way of Answering the question under the circumstances? (Is the outcome rare or harmful) Did it address the study question?
Is it worth continuing?
####### ©Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Case Control Study Checklist 31.
5. Was the exposure accurately measured to Yes Can’t tell No
minimise bias?
HINT: We are looking for measurement, recall or classification bias Was the exposure clearly defined and accurately measured? Did the authors use subjective or objective measurements? Do the measures truly reflect what they are supposed to measure? (Have they been validated?) Were the measurement methods similar in the cases and controls? Did the study incorporate blinding where feasible? Is the temporal relation correct? (Does the exposure of interest precede the outcome?)
6. (a) What confounding factors have the List:
authors accounted for?
HINT: List the ones you think might be important, that The author missed. Genetic Environmental Socio-economic
(b) Have the authors taken account Yes Can’t tell No
of the potential confounding factors
in the design and/or in their analysis?
HINT: Look for
Restriction in design, and techniques e. modelling stratified-, regression-, or sensitivity analysis to correct, control or adjust for confounding factors
####### ©Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) Case Control Study Checklist 31.
7. What are the results of this study?
HINT: Consider What are the bottom line results? Is the analysis appropriate to the design? How strong is the association between exposure and outcome (look at the odds ratio)? Are the results adjusted for confounding, and might confounding still explain the association? Has adjustment made a big difference to the OR?
(B) What are the results?
8. How precise are the results?
How precise is the estimate of risk?
HINT: Consider Size of the P-value Size of the confidence intervals Have the authors considered all the important variables? How was the effect of subjects refusing to participate evaluated?
9. Do you believe the results? Yes No
HINT: Consider
Big effect is hard to ignore! Can it be due to chance, bias or confounding? Are the design and methods of this study sufficiently flawed to make the results unreliable? Consider Bradford Hills criteria (e. time sequence, dose-response gradient, strength, biological plausibility)
CASP CC checklist - nil
Module: Year 1 MB ChB (MEDI10007)
University: University of Bristol
