Author Description

This book shows that in most controversial questions in medicine the essential argument concerns whether the available evidence supports a particular cause-and-effect relationship. Making this evaluation, however, requires a degree of critical thinking that is not emphasized in medical education. In redressing this imbalance, the author demonstrates that by defining the postulated causal relationship, the possible causal and non-causal explanations can be considered in a logical and constructive manner. Elwood assumes no preliminary knowledge, but starts from a simple logical base to lead the reader through types of studies which are relevant, including the issue of selection in subjects, bias in observations, influences of other factors, and statistical analysis. This yields a question and answer approach that can be applied to a wide range of clinical and epidemiological issues.