A one day census of inpatients in a mental hospital could -

Ans. is 'a' i.e., Give good information about the patients in that hospital at a time o A one day census of inpatient in a mental hospital means the examination is carried out at one point of time --> feature of cross-sectional study. o So, it will provide information about the patients in that hospital at that time. About other options o For estimation of seasonal factors in admission, we will require the study which can be extended to all seasons --> longitudinal study. o This study (study in question) cannot enable us to draw conclusions about the mental hospital of India because it is being done only in one hospital for only one day. o Because the study was done for only inpatient (not for OPD patients) it cannot estimate the distribution of different diagnosis in mental illness in the local area.