EBOOK Basic Principles And Practical Applications In Epidemiological Research

Based on the concept of “conjecture and refutation” from the Popperian philosophy of science, i.e. looking for alternative causes, this book simplifies the design and inferences of human observational studies into two types: descriptive and causal. It clarifies how and why causal inference should be considered from the search for alternative explanations or causes, and descriptive inference from the sample at hand to the source population. Furthermore, it links the health policy and epidemiological concept with decisional questions, for which the basic measurement can be quality-adjusted survival time or quality-adjusted life year.Contents:Introduction to Epidemiological ResearchPrinciples of Scientific Research: Deductive Methods and Process of Conjecture and RefutationScientific Hypothesis and Degree of CorroborationCausal Inference and DecisionBasic Principles of MeasurementBasic Measurements in Epidemiological ResearchStudy DesignAdjustment and Standardization of RatesIntroduction to Sampling Method and Practical ApplicationsFollow-up StudyCase-control StudyHow to Critically Review an Empirical StudyApplication of Epidemiological Methods in Health Service Research and PolicyReadership: Practitioners, academics, researchers, upper level undergraduates and graduate students in public-health-related fields (epidemiology, biostatistics, occupational and environmental health, health policy and management) and toxicology.Key Features:This book is the first in the market that features essays from a well-researched scam busting column on health fantasies with a local slantThe wide readership of The Straits Times and the scrutiny of doctors and scientists on these essays attest to their rigor and well-argued natureThis book will attract readers from most parts of Asia, given the rising affluence and a consumerist culture fascinated with beauty treatments and health matters