Tsuda T, Babazono A, Mino Y, Matsuoka H, Yamamoto E
Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Okayama University Medical School, Japan.
Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi. 1996 Jul;51(2):558-68. doi: 10.1265/jjh.51.558.
Changes of causal inference concepts in medicine, especially those having to do with chronic diseases, were reviewed. The review is divided into five sections. First, several articles on the increased academic acceptance of observational research are cited. Second, the definitions of confounder and effect modifier concepts are explained. Third, the debate over the so-called "criteria for causal inference" was discussed. Many articles have pointed out various problems related to the lack of logical bases for standard criteria, however, such criteria continue to be misapplied in Japan. Fourth, the Popperian and verificationist concepts of causal inference are summarized. Lastly, a recent controversy on meta-analysis is explained. Causal inference plays an important role in epidemiologic theory and medicine. However, because this concept has not been well-introduced in Japan, there has been much misuse of the concept, especially when used for conventional criteria.
回顾了医学中因果推断概念的变化，尤其是与慢性病相关的概念变化。本综述分为五个部分。第一，引用了几篇关于观察性研究在学术上获得更多认可的文章。第二，解释了混杂因素和效应修饰因素概念的定义。第三，讨论了关于所谓“因果推断标准”的争论。许多文章指出了与标准标准缺乏逻辑基础相关的各种问题，然而，这些标准在日本仍被错误应用。第四，总结了波普尔主义和证实主义的因果推断概念。最后，解释了最近关于荟萃分析的争议。因果推断在流行病学理论和医学中起着重要作用。然而，由于这个概念在日本没有得到很好的引入，所以这个概念被大量误用，尤其是在用于传统标准时。
