Nursing Professional Development Certification (NPD-BC) Practice Exam

If a researcher follows a group of patients without disease to assess risk factors, what type of study is this?

1. Case control study

2. Cross-sectional study

3. Prospective cohort study

4. Meta-analysis

The correct answer is: Prospective cohort study

The scenario described involves a researcher following a group of patients who do not currently have a disease to observe risk factors over time. This design aligns with a prospective cohort study. In this type of study, participants are identified and grouped based on their exposure status (in this case, patients without the disease) and are then followed into the future to assess outcomes (such as the development of the disease based on various risk factors). Prospective cohort studies are particularly valuable in epidemiology because they can establish temporal relationships between risk factors and the occurrence of diseases, allowing researchers to analyze how certain exposures may increase or decrease the likelihood of developing a health condition. By observing a group over time, the researcher can gather valuable data regarding the onset of the disease and its association with the identified risk factors. Other study designs present different methodologies: case-control studies focus on individuals with a disease and look back at their exposure history, cross-sectional studies assess current data at a single point in time without following participants into the future, and meta-analyses synthesize results from multiple studies rather than observing a single cohort over time. Each serves distinct purposes in research, but for the scenario presented, the prospective cohort study is the most appropriate classification.