ABSTRACT
This chapter defines and discusses study designs commonly used for quantitative research in palliative care. Quantitative research uses the epidemiological approach to define and shape all the aspects of a study, including its design. Epidemiology is the study of disease and health in human populations. In palliative medicine, according to the World Health Organization definition, authors focus on two populations of interest: patients and their loved ones, usually relatives or friends, facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. The choice of a retrospective or prospective design is based on logistic and scientific considerations. Retrospective studies require much less time and resources, because all events have already occurred when the study is initiated. In palliative care, retrospective cohort studies are difficult to perform because information on exposure or outcomes is usually not available retrospectively.
