Hello fellow posters, I have come across a dilemma with little consensus amongst colleagues. So, I am throwing this issue out there for all of you, in hopes that you might shed some light on the subject.
I am doing a study where I am using a previously existing database in which patients were assessed with a quality of life measure at different time points (e.g., longitudinally). The study was originally exploratory.. there were no variables that were controlled for... just.. giving patients a questionnaire each time they presented to a clinic. In reviewing various definitions of research designs, the one that seems to "fit" most closely is that of a "case control" design.. but as I mentioned, there were no variables that were controlled for. So this definition seems grossly inadequate. Obviously it is a retrospective design... but is there some kind of "official" term that might be used for this type of study? I would be grateful for any feedback. Sincerely, Tasha B. . . ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at: . http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ . =================================================================
