Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2005 Apr 16;330(7496):895-7.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.330.7496.895.

Reader's guide to critical appraisal of cohort studies: 1. Role and design

Affiliations
Review

Reader's guide to critical appraisal of cohort studies: 1. Role and design

Paula A Rochon et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Cohort studies can provide valuable information unavailable from randomised trials, but readers need to be alert to possible flaws

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cohort studies can use diverse populations Credit: PHOTOALTO/PHOTONICA

References

    1. Gurwitz JH, Col NF, Avorn J. The exclusion of the elderly and women from clinical trials in acute myocardial infarction. JAMA 1992;268: 1417-22. - PubMed
    1. Murray MD, Callahan CM. Improving medication use for older adults: an integrated research agenda. Ann Intern Med 2003;139: 425-9. - PubMed
    1. McKee M, Britton A, Black N, McPherson K, Sanderson C, Bain C. Interpreting the evidence: choosing between randomised and nonrandomised studies. BMJ 1991;1999: 312-5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Benson K, Hartz AJ. A comparison of observational studies and randomized, controlled trials. N Engl J Med 2000:342: 1878-86. - PubMed
    1. Black N. Why we need observational studies to evaluate the effectiveness of health care. BMJ 1996;312: 1215-8. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types