Process / pipelineClinical / epidemiology
Prospective Cohort Study — Longitudinal Observational Design
A prospective cohort study assembles a group of participants who are free of the outcome of interest at baseline, measures their exposures, and then follows them forward in time to record who develops the outcome. By collecting exposure data before outcomes occur, it establishes a clear temporal sequence that supports causal inference — a major advantage over retrospective designs. It is the cornerstone observational method in epidemiology and clinical research.
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Sources
- Rothman, K. J., Greenland, S., & Lash, T. L. (2008). Modern Epidemiology (3rd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN: 978-0781755641
- Doll, R., & Hill, A. B. (1954). The mortality of doctors in relation to their smoking habits. British Medical Journal, 1(4877), 1451-1455. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.1.4877.1451 ↗
Related methods
Referenced by
Adaptive Cohort StudyBayesian Cohort StudyCohort StudyMatched Cohort StudyMulticenter cohort studyMulticenter Phase IV StudyNested case-controlPragmatic randomized clinical trialProspective Case SeriesProspective Case-Control StudyProspective Case-Crossover DesignProspective Competing Risks AnalysisProspective Cox proportional hazardsProspective Dose-Response AnalysisProspective Ecological StudyProspective Nested Case-ControlProspective Phase IV StudyProspective Screening Test EvaluationProspective Survival AnalysisRetrospective Cohort Study