Study designs Example

Oilbath is the key to good health

Be sure to take oilbath weekly
Oilbath keeps you healthy

Hypothetical Research Question

Your mission:
Reduce the incidence of DPN

Your belief:
Regular oilbath is the key to good health

Your hypothesis
Regular exercise decreases the risk of DPN

Example of a Cross-Sectional Study

Association between regular
oilbath and DPN in the among DM

Cross-sectional Study
Sample of
Population
Oilbath +

Prevalence of
DPN

Oilbath -

Prevalence of
DPN

Time Frame = Present

Cross-sectional Study
Regular oilbath
+
D
P
N

10

9
0

9
0

10

Case-Control Study
Regular
OILBATH +
Regular
OILBATH Regular
OILBATH +
Regular
OILBATH Past

Cases
Patients with DPN

Controls
Patients w/o DPN

Present

Example of a Case-Control Study

Are those with DPN less likely to have

OILBATH regularly?

Prospective Cohort Study

Regular
OILBATH -

Regular
OILBATH +

Prese
nt

DPN
No DPN

DPN
No
DPN
Futur
e

Example of a Cohort Study

To see the effects of regular

OILBATH on DPN in a DM
population

Experimental Studies
Clinical trials provide the gold
standard of determining the
relationship between OILBATH and
prevention of DPN.

Clinical Trial

R
a
n
Study d
Populatio o
m
n
i
z
e

Treatmen
t Group

Outcome
s

Control
Group

Outcome
s

Clinical Trial

Study
Populatio
n

R
a
n
d
o
m
i
z
e

OILBATH

No
OILBATH

No
DPN
DPN

No
DPN
DPN

Epidemiological Studies:
Summary

Epidemiologic Study Designs

Diagnostic test study

Pulse diagnosis of Siddha

system
Highly subjective with
individual variations and
time variations
Pulse sensors - IIT
Madras (
http://apm.iitm.ac.in/bi
omedical/touchlab/index.
html
)
Pulsometer VIT (
http://www.ijcaonline.
org/volume9/number3/px
c3871841.pdf

Neikkuri A potent Siddha

diagnostic test

Neikkuri vs OGTT
A hypothetical comparison
OGTT
PRESNT
ABSENT
Neikkuri

+ ive

TRUE
FALSE
POSITIVE
POSITIVE
A B
C D

- ive

FALSE
NEGATIVE

TRUE
NEGATIVE

Neikkuri vs OGTT
A hypothetical comparison
OGTT

POSITIVE

PRESENT
ABSENT
50
A B

Neikkuri

C
NEGATIVE

55
100
SENSITIVITY
SPECIFICITY =

30

80

D
15

20

45
+IVE PV =

- IVE

PV =

Neikkuri vs Sputum AFB

A hypothetical comparison
AFB
Positive
Negative
Neikkuri

+ ive

TRUE
FALSE
POSITIVE
POSITIVE
A B
C D

- ive

FALSE
NEGATIVE

TRUE
NEGATIVE

Neikkuri vs Sputum AFB

A hypothetical comparison
AFB

POSITIVE

Positive
Negative
60
A B

Neikkuri

C
NEGATIVE

65
100
SENSITIVITY
SPECIFICITY =

30

90

D
5

10
35
+IVE PV =

- IVE

PV =

Limitations of ASU diagnostic

tests

Subjectivity
Lack of Reliability (High variability)
Lack of Validity (vagueness)
Mentioned only for a very limited
number of conditions
Uses limited varieties of samples

Positives of ASU diagnostic

tests (if proven!!!)
Can be unimaginably cheaper!
Least time consuming
Can start treatment even if the physician
is unable to diagnose exactly
Well-suited for our country
No history taking needed (in such
conditions)
No hi-fi instruments needed
No dependency on technicians, labs
And more..

Guidelines for Varmam in

the lines of Acupuncture
Design appropriate
placebo for research
Non-acupuncture
inert controls
Placebo
acupuncture
Sham acupuncture
Real acupuncture
with a decoy
treatment

Need for research beyond

clinical

Literature
Basic principles and philosophy
Basic sciences
Biotechnology
Social science
Engineering
Public health and programmatic
Development of guidelines