The administrator of a local hospital notices that many patients admitted for Salmonella infection indicate that they drink unpasteurized milk from a local dairy. The dairy has resisted pasteurizing the milk because the state inspections do not always find Salmonella contamination. The hospital administrator decides to conduct a hospital-based study that may show a strong association between unpasteurized milk consumption and Salmonella cases in the community.
1. What study design should the hospital administrator select? Why?
2. What can be concluded from this hospital-based study with respect to the association of consuming unpasteurized milk and Salmonella infection?