Evaluating Clinical and Public Health Interventions

Whether you are evaluating the effectiveness of a drug, a medical device, a behavioral intervention, a community mobilization, or even a new law, this is the book for you. Written in plain language, it simplifies the process of designing interventions, analyzing the data, and publishing the results. Because the choice of research design depends on the nature of the intervention, the book covers randomized and nonrandomized designs, prospective and retrospective studies, planned clinical trials and observational studies. In addition to reviewing standard statistical analysis, the book has easy-to-follow explanations of cutting edge techniques for evaluating interventions, including propensity score analysis, instrumental variable analysis, interrupted time series analysis and sensitivity analysis. All techniques are illustrated with up-to-date examples from medical and public health literature. This will be essential reading for a wide range of healthcare professionals involved in research as well as those more specifically interested in public health issues and epidemiology. Features • Structured in a question and answer format so that readers can navigate the coverage easily and focus on issues of specific interest to them • Uses plain language rather than mathematical formulae • Includes marginal notes of research tips and definitions to complement the main text Table of Contents Preface 1. Introduction 2. Interventions 3. Evaluating interventions 4. Randomized designs 5. Nonrandomized designs 6. Statistical analysis of intervention trials 7. Methods for adjusting for baseline differences between treatment groups 8. Time series analyses 9. Special issues with intervention studies 10. Research to action 11. Conclusion Index.