Study design: A research primer for low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

Study design is critical to ensure that research questions are answered in an appropriate and rational manner for all aspects of health, but particularly in emergency care. Appropriate study design selection is one of the most critical decisions to make at the earliest stage of a research project; once this is clear, much of the methodology and sample size estimations should be straightforward. Selection of an appropriate study design is fundamental to good research and deserves careful consideration at the outset of any research project. The classic gold standard for study design is the double-blind randomised clinical trial, but it is often not possible to achieve this ideal in the busy cl..