The Use and Interpretation of Quasi-Experiemental Studies in Medical Informatics
Quasi-experiments are studies that aim to evaluate interventions but that do not use randomization. These studies are often described as pre-post intervention studies and are common in the medical informatics literature. Yet little has been written about the benefits and limitations of the quasi-experimental approach as applied to informatics studies. This paper outlines a relative hierarchy and nomenclature of quasi-experimental study designs that is applicable to medical informatics intervention studies. In addition, the authors performed a systematic review of two medical informatics journals, the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) and the International Journal of Medical Informatics (IJMI), to determine the number of quasi-experimental studies published and how the studies are classified on the above-mentioned relative hierarchy. They hope that future medical informatics studies will implement higher level quasi-experimental study designs that yield more convincing evidence for causal links between medical informatics interventions and outcomes.
Journal
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Assocation (JAMIA).
Publication Year
2006
Publication Month
Jan-Feb
Volume
13
Issue
1
Page Number
16-23 Epub 2005 Oct 12
Category