1. How to Read a Research Paper: An Exercise Using a Study on Continuation vs. Discontinuation of Antidepressants during Pregnancy
- Author
-
Chittaranjan Andrade
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,RC435-571 ,Context (language use) ,03 medical and health sciences ,Continuation ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Psychiatry ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,Pregnancy ,how to read a research paper ,Confounding ,Antidepressants ,medicine.disease ,030227 psychiatry ,Discontinuation ,Clinical Psychology ,Psychiatry and Mental health ,confounding variables ,depression ,Antidepressant ,pregnancy ,Psychology ,Learning Curve - Abstract
The ability to critically read a research paper is a skill that all postgraduate students and academicians require because the findings of a study must be interpreted in the context of its strengths and limitations. This article summarizes a recent study on continuation vs. discontinuation of antidepressants during pregnancy; preterm birth and low-birth weight were the outcomes of interest. The strengths and limitations of the study are considered, as are the best and worst case scenarios related to antidepressant use during pregnancy. It is hoped that this exercise will increase the reader's awareness of statistical and methodological issues that emerge when a study is critically examined.
- Published
- 2018