Guide to interpreting and evaluating the pharmacoepidemiologic literature.
The purpose of this guide is to provide review criteria for the pharmacoepidemiologic literature. Case-control and cohort studies are the major methodologies used in pharmacoepidemiologic analysis. Evaluation criteria for case-control and cohort studies address proper sample-frame definition, compatibility of cases and controls, drug-exposure validations, unintended-effect ascertainment procedures, and considerations for confounding. Moreover, interpretation of the statistics used in reporting cohort and case-control studies is provided. Further review criteria are given for meta-analysis, an approach to integrating the pharmacoepidemiologic literature.
Hartzema
A G
AG
Pharmacy Administration, School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill 27599.
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004813:Epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D010600:Pharmacology; D012107:Research Design; D012306:Risk