Pharmacological epidemiology employs various methodologies to study drug effects, including:
- Cohort Studies: These involve following a group of individuals over time to observe how exposure to a drug affects outcomes. - Case-Control Studies: These compare individuals with a particular outcome (cases) to those without it (controls) to identify factors such as drug exposure that may contribute to the outcome. - Cross-Sectional Studies: These provide a snapshot of drug use and health outcomes at a single point in time. - Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs): Though primarily used in clinical settings, RCTs can also be applied in epidemiological research to determine the causal relationship between drug exposure and outcomes.
