Follow up in cohort study / 中华疾病控制杂志

ABSTRACT

The cohort study provides the strongest evidence of causality among observational epidemiological study design. One of the most important reasons is that cohort study more clearly indicates the temporal sequence between exposure and outcome. Effective and efficient follow-up is the fundamental necessity for research quality. This review briefly introduces the requirements for the observation period of the cohort study, the two most common ways for follow-up and their advantages and disadvantages.