Types, uses and features of descriptive studies

Types of descriptive studies

• Case series studies
• Community diagnosis or need assessment
• Descriptive cross-sectional studies
• Ecological descriptive studies
• Epidemiological description of disease occurrence  

Use of descriptive Study

• To measure incidence
• To measure Prevalence
• To generate hypothesis

The essential Features of descriptive studies are:

• To describe present or past characteristics of persons with a particular outcome or a particular exposure and/or to determine incidence or prevalence of an outcome and exposure.
• Only one group is studied. No comparison group is used.
• No conclusion can be made about the association between exposure and outcome. Information derived from such studies may suggest possible associations which require further study using analytical design.
• They may be prospective or retrospective in time.
• Description study is limited to a description of the occurrence of the diseases in a population.
• Description studies allow the generation of hypotheses; which can be tested by analytical or experimental design of studies subsequently-WHO.
• It is often 1st step of epidemiological investigation (WHO-Park).
• It includes the collection, analysis&interpretation of data. Both qualitative & quantitative tech may be used including questionnaires, interviews, observation of participants, service statistics & documents –WHO

This study involves the following three questions:-

• Where the disease occurs? – Place distribution.
• When it occurs? –Time distribution.
• Who are being affected? – Person distribution.