{
  "abstract": "This introductory article is part of a series about the analyses used for studies using routine health data. The contents of this article provide a brief background on real-world data (RWD) itself and observational studies; both the advantages and the disadvantages of using RWD for observational studies, and how to critically appraise these studies. Other articles in this series will then discuss specific analyses applied to RWD, such as interrupted time series, difference-in-differences and the role of RWD in randomised-controlled trials (RCTs).",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Women's and Children’s Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Alec Thomas"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK",
        "Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya"
      ],
      "name": "Helen Nabwera"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Women's and Children’s Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK",
        "NIHR Alder Hey Clinical Research Facility, Liverpool, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Daniel B Hawcutt"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Ian Sinha"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Guide to understanding observational studies that use real-world data",
  "uid": "0ae4b648-fae5-583f-85d0-bf251025a520"
}