Treats costs that already have been incurred, and outcomes that have been realized when the study begins. The cost and outcome data can be extracted from different sources (e.g., previous program budgets, patient medical records, or existing databases). The data-collection phase lasts only as long as the researcher needs to extract the data from the chosen data sources. Retrospective studies typically have the advantage of saving time and resources through the data-collection process, because when the study begins, costs and outcomes have already been incurred. The main disadvantage of retrospective studies is that the researcher is not involved with the data-collection process. Therefore, the available data might not be as comprehensive or detailed as desired.
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