Methodology minute: An overview of the case-case study design and its applications in infection prevention

Kristen Pogreba-Brown; Erika Austhof; Katherine Ellingson

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2018.11.024

Methodology minute: An overview of the case-case study design and its applications in infection prevention

Am J Infect Control. 2020 Mar;48(3):342-344. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.11.024. Epub 2019 Oct 9.

Authors

Kristen Pogreba-Brown¹, Erika Austhof², Katherine Ellingson²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Electronic address: kpogreba@email.arizona.edu.
² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

PMID: 31606255
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.11.024

Abstract

The case-case study design is a potentially useful tool for infection preventionists during outbreak or cluster investigations. This column clarifies terminology related to case-case, case-control, and case-case-control study designs. Examples of practical applications of the case-case study design include determining risk factors for health care-onset versus community-onset infections, or antibiotic-resistant versus antibiotic-susceptible infections.

Keywords: Case–case; Case–case control; Methods; Risk factors.

MeSH terms

Case-Control Studies*
Community-Acquired Infections / prevention & control*
Cross Infection / prevention & control*
Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control*
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Humans
Research Design
Risk Factors