2. Appraising the relevance of results

2.3 The eight steps

1. What is the objective of the study?

Determining the cause (or the etiology)

For a clinician, knowing the etiology or the cause of a disease is fundamental in the practice of medicine, be it for prevention, diagnosis, or treatment.

The cause is related to the interaction between a risk factor and a disease, and to the strength of this interaction.