A researcher wants to determine whether smartphones can be used to positively impact clinical outcomes of cardiac patients… proceeds to research and document another 100 related studies. Which research method is this researcher using?

A cohort study follows a group of individuals over time to observe outcomes related to a specific exposure or treatment. While it can reveal associations, it does not involve synthesizing data from multiple studies; rather, it focuses on tracking a single cohort. Therefore, this research method does not apply to the researcher’s approach of combining findings from numerous studies.

A case study involves an in-depth investigation of a single individual, group, or event to explore its complexities and contexts. This method lacks the breadth of analysis across multiple studies. Since the researcher is examining and integrating data from 100 different studies, a case study is not the appropriate method.

A clinical trial tests the effects of a specific intervention or treatment on participants in a controlled setting. This method primarily focuses on experimental data rather than reviewing existing literature. As the researcher is not testing a new intervention but rather analyzing existing studies, a clinical trial does not fit this scenario.