Can Observational Studies Be Retrospective?

Observational study designs, also called epidemiologic study designs, are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.

What is a retrospective observational study?

Retrospective Studies. ... A retrospective study looks backwards and examines exposures to suspected risk or protection factors in relation to an outcome that is established at the start of the study.

Can you have a retrospective observational study?

Retrospective cohort studies are a type of observational research in which the investigator looks back in time at archived or self-report data to examine whether the risk of disease was different between exposed and non-exposed patients.