A study utilized the medical records of nursing home residents as ...

[Charlie]

A study utilized the medical records of nursing home residents as the source of data for the study. This is an example of which type of study?
 
  1. Longitudinal.
  2. Retrospective.
  3. Prospective.
  4. Cross-sectional.

Question 2

Which type of study would be conducted in order to examine a cause-and-effect relationship between a new technique to relieve pain in infants during a procedure and the amount/degree of pain relief?
 
  1. Exploratory study.
  2. Descriptive study.
  3. Explanatory study.
  4. Pre-experimental study.

[T4T]

Answer to Question 1

2
Rationale 1: A longitudinal study follows subjects over time to determine effects of a phenomenon. There is not enough data in the question to determine if this is a longitudinal study.
Rationale 2: In a retrospective study, the dependent variable (effect) is identified in the present, and an attempt is made to determine the independent variable (cause) that occurred in the past.
Rationale 3: A prospective study identifies presence of an independent variable and follows subjects into the future to observe the dependent variable.
Rationale 4: A cross-sectional study examines subjects at a particular point in time.

Answer to Question 2

3
Rationale 1: An exploratory study is conducted when there is little information known about a topic.
Rationale 2: A descriptive study is conducted when some studies have been conducted on a topic and information asks about the relationship between study variables.
Rationale 3: Explanatory studies are those that search for causal explanations. Enough knowledge exists about the variables of interest that the investigator is able to exercise some degree of control over the research conditions and manipulate one or more of the variables.
Rationale 4: A pre-experimental study is conducted when the researcher has little control over the research design.