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A Beacon for Observational Studies

Tamar Nijsten, MD, PhD; Phyllis Spuls, MD, PhD; Robert S. Stern, MD

Arch Dermatol. 2008;144(9):1200-1204.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Commentary on: The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies
von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, et al; STROBE Initiative
Ann Intern Med. 2007;147(8):573-577
BMJ. 2007;335(7624):806-808
Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85(11):867-872
Epidemiology. 2007;18(6):800-804
Lancet. 2007;370(9596):1453-1457
PLoS Med. 2007;4(10):e296
Prev Med. 2007;45(4):247-251

Question: Which items are important to improve the quality and transparency of observational studies (case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies)?

Much biomedical research is observational. The reporting of such research is often inadequate, which hampers the assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and of a study's generalizability. The STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Initiative developed recommendations on what should be included in an accurate and complete report of an observational study. We defined the scope of the recommendations . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Comment

Item 3: Objectives

Items 6 and 13: Study Participants

Item 7: Variables

Item 10: Study Size

Item 11: Quantitative Variables

Item 12: Statistical Methods

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Departments of Dermatology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (Dr Nijsten); Amsterdam Medical Center, and the Dutch Cochrane Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (Dr Spuls); and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr Stern)

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