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Section edited by Timothy Beebe
This section considers manuscripts that investigate how choices of research methodology and study design can impact study results, including research participation and study outcomes.
Research article
Several statistical approaches have been proposed to assess and correct for exposure measurement error. We aimed to provide a critical overview of the most common approaches used in nutritional epidemiology.
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:146
Published on: 19 September 2017
Research article
The clinical research enterprise is not producing the evidence decision makers arguably need in a timely and cost effective manner; research currently involves the use of labor-intensive parallel systems that ...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:144
Published on: 18 September 2017
Correspondence
Focused ethnography is an applied and pragmatic form of ethnography that explores a specific social phenomenon as it occurs in everyday life. Based on the literature a problem-focused research question is form...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:139
Published on: 12 September 2017
Research article
Knowing about predictors of attrition in a panel is important to initiate early measures against loss of participants. We investigated attrition in both early and late phase of an online panel with special foc...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:132
Published on: 31 August 2017
Research article
The Barthel Index (BI) is a measure of independence in activities of daily living (ADL). In the modified Barthel Index (MBI), a five-point system replaced the original two or three or four point rating system....
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:131
Published on: 25 August 2017
Research article
This cohort study examined the impact of the lengths of lookback and confirmation periods as well as the definition of confirmatory events on the number of incident cancer cases identified and age-standardized...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:122
Published on: 14 August 2017
Research article
Each year over five million people develop chronic non-malignant pain and can experience healthcare as an adversarial struggle. The aims of this study were: (1) to bring together qualitative evidence syntheses...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:116
Published on: 1 August 2017
Research Article
The Matchpoint trial aims to identify the optimal dose of ponatinib to give with conventional chemotherapy consisting of fludarabine, cytarabine and idarubicin to chronic myeloid leukaemia patients in blastic ...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:112
Published on: 20 July 2017
Debate
Distinguishing cohort studies from case series is difficult.
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:107
Published on: 17 July 2017
Research article
African Americans have been historically under-represented in genetic studies. More research is needed on effective recruitment strategies for this population, especially on approaches that supplement traditio...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:101
Published on: 14 July 2017
Research article
Selection bias and non-participation bias are major methodological concerns which impact external validity. Cluster-randomized controlled trials are especially prone to selection bias as it is impractical to b...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:94
Published on: 10 July 2017
Research article
Many medicines are dosed to achieve a particular therapeutic range, and monitored using therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The evidence base for a therapeutic range can be evaluated using systematic reviews, t...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:84
Published on: 2 June 2017
Research article
Previous research has found that a “web-push” approach to data collection, which involves contacting people by mail to request an Internet survey response while withholding a paper response option until later ...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:73
Published on: 26 April 2017
Research article
We describe a novel strategy for power and sample size determination developed for studies utilizing investigational technologies with limited available preliminary data, specifically of imaging biomarkers. We...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:75
Published on: 26 April 2017
Research article
Evaluation of the potential effectiveness of a programme’s objectives (health or otherwise) is important in demonstrating how programmes work. However, evaluations are expensive and can focus on unrealistic ou...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:70
Published on: 21 April 2017
Study protocol
Maternity intrapartum care research and clinical care more often focus on outcomes that minimise or prevent adverse health rather than on what constitutes positive health and wellbeing (salutogenesis). This wa...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:61
Published on: 19 April 2017
Correspondence
Obesity and obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, are a major issue for Veteran health. Veterans Health Administration (VA) researchers and health systems leaders have worked separately and toge...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:50
Published on: 29 March 2017
Research article
The effects of postal questionnaire burden on return rates and answers given are unclear following treatment on an intensive care unit (ICU). We aimed to establish the effects of different postal questionnaire...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:49
Published on: 27 March 2017
Research article
Propensity scores are typically applied in retrospective cohort studies. We describe the feasibility of matching on a propensity score derived from a retrospective cohort and subsequently applied in a prospect...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:42
Published on: 16 March 2017
Research article
Sample selection can substantially affect the solutions generated using exploratory factor analysis. Validation studies of the 12-item World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS...
BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 17:40
Published on: 11 March 2017
