Main Types of Research &

Descriptive Studies

1
 Learning Outcomes

• List the types of research

• Describe the key features of descriptive studies

• Explain «Ecological Fallacy»

2
 Research process
Phase Steps
Phase I: deciding Step1: formulating a research 1. reviewing the literature
what to do question 2. Formulating a research question
3. Identifying variables
4. Constructing hypotheses
Phase II: planning a Step II:conseptualising a research Selecting a study design
research study design
Step III:constructing an instrument Methods and tools of data collection
for data collection

Step IV:selecting a sample Sampling methods

Step V:writing a research proposal

Phase III conducting a Step VI:collecting data

research study Step VII: processing and displaying
data
Step VIII: writing a reserach report
 Types of studies

Qualitative
Quantitative studies studies

*Focus
group
Observational *indepth
interview
Experimental
Descriptive
*case report Analytical
*case series *Analiytical cross
sectional
*Ecological
studies *Case control study
*Descriptive *Cohort study
Cross sectional
 Types of observational studies

Descriptive Analytic

• Natural history • Test hypotheses

• Allocation of • Assess causation
resources
• Suggest hypotheses

From the observations gathered during the

descriptive process, a hypothesis is
generated about the causes of observed
patterns and the factors that increase risk 5
for disease or injury
 Descriptive Studies
• description of the health status of a community

• based on routinely available data or on data obtained in

is often the first step in an
special surveys epidemiological investigation

• descriptive studies make no attempt to analyse the links

between exposure and effect.

• may examine patterns of morbidity or death by age, sex

or ethnicity during specified time periods or in various
countries.
6
 Descriptive studies

• They are often the first foray into a new

disease or area of inquiry
• designed only to describe the existing
distribution of variables, without regard to
causal or other hypotheses.
 Types of descriptive studies

• deal with individuals

Case report
Case-series report
Cross-sectional studies

• those that relate to populations

Ecological studies
 Case report
• A clinician reports an unusual disease or
association, which prompts further
investigations with more rigorous study
designs

a clinician, reported benign hepatocellular

adenomas, a rare tumour, in women
who had taken oral contraceptives
 The structure of the case report

• Case reports are shorter than most other types

of articles.
• Case reports should encompass the following
five sections:
– an abstract,
– an introduction with a literature review,
– a description of the case report,
– a discussion that includes a detailed explanation of
the literature review, and
– a brief summary of the case and a conclusion
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P
MC4175810/
Tips for writing a case report for the novice
author
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4175810/
 Ambulatory Anesthesia Management for a Pediatric
Patient with Kabuki Make-Up Syndrome: Case Report

ABSTRACT
Kabuki Make-up Syndrome is a rare, sporadic congenital syndrome. The main
features are classic facial appearance and dermatologlypic pattern with
mental retardation, joint laxity, short stature and prominent finger pads. The
facial features include long palpebral fissures, epicanthal folds, depressed
nasal tips and tooth abnormalities. Patients can present renal and skeletal
abnormalities. Congenital heart defects such as a single ventricle, double
outlet right ventricle or transposition of the great vessels are common in
Kabuki Syndrome. Difficult airway, cardiovascular problems, malignant
hyperthermia, hypotonia, genitourinary abnormalities and epilepsia may
increase the risk associated with general anesthesia. Every day more cases
are described attracting the attention to Kabuki syndrome. In this case report,
we aimed to discuss the anesthesic management of a 28-month-old patient
with Kabuki Syndrome.

Keywords: Kabuki syndrome; monitoring, ambulatory; coronary angiography

Turkiye Klinikleri J Case Rep 2015;23(3):211-4

doi: 10.5336/caserep.2013-37329
 Case-series report

• A case-series aggregates individual cases in

one report.
• Sometimes, the appearance of several
similar cases in a short period heralds an
epidemic.
 Ecological - correlational studies
• look for associations between exposures and
outcomes in populations rather than in
individuals
• Eg. death rates from coronary artery disease
correlate with per capita sales of cigarettes.
• access to safe legal abortion is inversely
correlated with maternal
Ecological studies have important
limitations

• the inability to link exposure to outcome in

individuals and to control for confounding (a
mixing of effects).
– death rates from coronary artery disease correlate
with per capita sales of cigarettes
• Ecological fallacy
Eg
Several reasons support using an ecological
study design.

• The hypothesis is relatively new

• Adequate measurement of individual-level
variables is not possible
• Adequate design of an individual-level study is
not possible (i.e., not ethical)
• We are interested in the effect from ecological
variables, for which there is no correlate at the
individual level
• We have limited funds or limited time to do
the study