The use and interpretation of quasi-experimental studies in infectious diseases

Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Jun 1;38(11):1586-91. doi: 10.1086/420936. Epub 2004 May 12.

Abstract

Quasi-experimental study designs, sometimes called nonrandomized, pre-post-intervention study designs, are ubiquitous in the infectious diseases literature, particularly in the area of interventions aimed at decreasing the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Little has been written about the benefits and limitations of the quasi-experimental approach. This article outlines a hierarchy of quasi-experimental study design that is applicable to infectious diseases studies and that, if applied, may lead to sounder research and more-convincing causal links between infectious diseases interventions and outcomes.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Communicable Diseases / pathology*
  • Communicable Diseases / transmission*
  • Humans
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Research Design / standards*
  • Research Design / trends*