This module is designed to equip students with the biostatistical, and research skill set required to develop and conduct medical science-based research. The module combines the theoretical and practical application of biostatistics and hypothesis-based research needed to participate in practice-based research.
It will prepare students to engage in scientific research, to perform an informed, comprehensive evaluation of medical scientific literature and data, within ethical and legal guidelines and codes of research conduct, and to communicate their findings to a variety of audiences.
Advanced Literature Handling
- Maximising breadth and depth of searches including clinically focused searches (e.g., PICO) and Evidence based data sources (e.g., NICE)
- Automating searches and connectivity with reference managing platforms (e.g., Mendeley, EndNote)
- Approaches to synthesis of the literature
Good Research Practice
- Characteristics of good research studies (e.g., statistical power and sample size, relevant research standards such as STARD)
- Data collection requirements (e.g., sample type, types of replicates, patients, biobanking)
- Ethical, GDPR and HRR requirements (e.g., balancing power imbalances in research, consent, and individual agency of research participants)
- Research planning and management (Time Management, Academic Writing Plan, Research proposal, Gantt Chart, Reflective Practise)
Data Interpretation
-Application of Statistical analyses as applied to biomedical research including both descriptive and inferential statistics (variation of data, distribution of data, significance thresholds, ROC curve analysis, Analytic performance parameters, performance parameters and test method comparison and evaluation)
- Interpretation of the results of statistical analysis
- Principles of honest data display for publication
- Use of statistical software packages for data analysis (e.g., MedCalc, SPSS, GraphPad, R)
Communication of Scientific Findings
- How to write scientifically (e.g., development of an academic writing plan, syntactic databases, paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism in specialised areas) for scientific, professional, and lay audiences
The CORU Standards of Proficiency covered, wholly or in part, in this module within the following domains are:
- Professional autonomy and accountability: 15,18,19
- Communication, collaborative practice and teamwork: 3,7
- Safety and Quality: 17
- Professional knowledge and skills: 19, 32-34
This module will be delivered in a blended format via data interpretation workshops (8h), lectures and workshops (12h). Students will be expected to engage in 80 hours of self-directed learning using the resources provided as part of the module.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |