Topic-wise HEOR Interview Questions & Answers based on "Prospective Cohort Studies"
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Here's a set of interview questions and answers focused on the topic of "Prospective Cohort Studies in HEOR" for aspirants:
1. Question: What is a prospective cohort study in the context of HEOR?
Answer: A prospective cohort study is a research design where a group of individuals is identified based on their exposure status and then followed over time to assess the occurrence of specific outcomes. It's a valuable observational study design in HEOR.
2. Question: What is the key objective of a prospective cohort study in HEOR?
Answer: The primary objective of a prospective cohort study in HEOR is to evaluate the association between an exposure (e.g., a healthcare intervention) and an outcome of interest, while minimizing biases and assessing causality.
3. Question: How are participants selected for a prospective cohort study?
Answer: Participants are selected based on their exposure status. Those exposed to the healthcare intervention of interest form the exposed cohort, while those not exposed make up the unexposed or comparison cohort.
4. Question: What distinguishes a prospective cohort study from a retrospective study design?
Answer: In a prospective cohort study, data is collected from the point of enrollment onward, whereas in a retrospective study, researchers use historical data to analyze past exposures and outcomes.
5. Question: How is data collection typically conducted in a prospective cohort study?
Answer: Data is collected through regular follow-up assessments, medical records review, surveys, or patient-reported outcomes, depending on the study objectives and available resources.
6. Question: Describe an example scenario where a prospective cohort study could be used in HEOR.
Answer: A prospective cohort study could assess the long-term outcomes and costs of patients with diabetes who are prescribed different medications, comparing their healthcare resource utilization and health status over time.
7. Question: What are some advantages of conducting a prospective cohort study in HEOR?
Answer: Advantages include the ability to establish temporal relationships between exposures and outcomes, minimize recall bias, and provide high-quality data for assessing causal relationships.
8. Question: What challenges might researchers encounter when conducting a prospective cohort study?
Answer: Challenges include maintaining participant retention and engagement over the study's duration, minimizing loss to follow-up, and addressing potential confounding factors.
9. Question: How can researchers address confounding in a prospective cohort study?
Answer: Researchers can address confounding through study design (matching, stratification), statistical methods (multivariable regression), and collecting data on potential confounders to adjust for their effects.
10. Question: Can a prospective cohort study establish causality between exposure and outcome?
Answer: While prospective cohort studies are strong in demonstrating temporal relationships, establishing causality requires careful consideration of confounding, biases, and alternative explanations for observed associations.
11. Question: How does bias, specifically selection bias, impact the validity of findings in a prospective cohort study?
Answer: Selection bias can occur if participants in the exposed and unexposed groups differ systematically. This can distort the relationship between exposure and outcome, affecting the validity of the study's findings.
12. Question: How do researchers determine the appropriate follow-up duration for a prospective cohort study?
Answer: The follow-up duration is determined by the time needed to capture a sufficient number of outcome events and to observe the effects of the exposure on the outcome while considering practical constraints.
13. Question: Can a prospective cohort study be used to assess rare outcomes or exposures?
Answer: Yes, prospective cohort studies can be used to assess rare outcomes or exposures, but they may require larger sample sizes or longer follow-up periods to accumulate enough events for meaningful analysis.
14. Question: How can prospective cohort studies contribute to evidence-based decision-making in healthcare?
Answer: Prospective cohort studies provide valuable real-world data on the effectiveness, safety, and economic impact of interventions, offering insights that can inform healthcare policies and practice.
15. Question: Describe a scenario where the findings of a prospective cohort study led to changes in clinical practice.
Answer: A prospective cohort study might reveal that a specific surgical technique is associated with significantly better long-term patient outcomes, prompting healthcare providers to adopt that technique more widely.
These questions and answers can serve as a foundation for discussing prospective cohort studies in HEOR with aspirants during interviews.
