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Once the investigator
has defined the purpose of an analysis, he or she must identify
the most appropriate data source available to achieve the study's
aims.
Descriptive analyses
provide new insights into relationships that have previously been
insufficiently explored, and can generate hypotheses that can
subsequently be tested empirically. Analytic studies using survey
data, like any other scientific investigation, begin with well-defined
research questions and testable hypotheses.
As stated before, some
investigators may be tempted to find an interesting data source
and then explore it for associations of interest (data-dredging).
Findings using this strategy are problematic for reasons that
include:
- Spurious associations
related to large sample sizes and large numbers of variables
are commonplace;
- Conflicting or unexpected
findings may be difficult to interpret; and
- Evidence from post
hoc analyses is considerably weaker than findings from research
based upon conceptual models and testable hypotheses.
Numerous survey databases
containing health care information are currently available, providing
the capacity to answer a wide array of questions. Data limitations
may require modifications to the study questions or scope of the
study. Balancing feasibility and limitations to specify the research
question and to identify the best data source requires time, but
increases the likelihood that the research will yield useful insights.
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