Читать книгу The Pocket Guide to Critical Appraisal - Iain K. Crombie - Страница 20

Case–control studies look backwards in time from some event (e.g. the diagnosis of breast cancer or failing to attend a clinic) to try to identify factors in the past that might explain why that event occurred. The direction of time is crucial for distinguishing between cohort studies and case–control studies: cohort studies look forwards; case–control studies backwards.