Applying Qualitative Research to Randomised Controlled Trials

This 1-day course will run online using Blackboard Collaborate, with a mix of live presentations and small group work.

By the end of the course participants should:

1. appreciate how qualitative research can be used to address particular randomised trial design and conduct issues (particularly in pragmatic trials of complex interventions);
2. be aware how qualitative research can be of value at various stages of the trial process;
3. realise the range of qualitative methods that can be used within a trial; and
4. be better equipped to include qualitative research in grant applications for randomised trials.

This course is intended for researchers and health professionals who have a reasonable knowledge of the process of conducting randomised trials within a health service context, and who are interested in how qualitative methods can optimise the design and conduct of a trial; and qualitative researchers who wish to consider how they could apply their skills to optimise the design and conduct of randomised trials.

The course will cover:

1. using qualitative research to address particular randomised trial design and conduct issues;
2. integrating qualitative research at various stages of the development and running of a trial;
3. how a range of qualitative methods can be used within a trial; and
4. incorporating qualitative research in grant applications for randomised trials.

The course co-leads are Dr Marcus Jepson and Dr Sophie Rees.

Before booking this course, please make sure you read the information provided above about the target audience. It is important that you have access to the relevant IT resources needed for the course to ensure you can get the most from the course.

Bookings are taken via our online booking system, for which you must register an account. To check if you are eligible for free or discounted courses please see our fees and voucher packs page. All bookings are subject to our terms & conditions, which can be read in full How to pay your short course fees..

For help and support with booking a course refer to our contact us, here or feel free to booking information page directly. For available payment options please see: FAQs

Participants are granted access to our virtual learning platform (Blackboard) 1 to 2 weeks in advance of the course. This allows time for any pre-course work to be completed and to familiarise with the platform.

To gain the most from the course, we recommend that you attend in full and participate in all interactive components. We endeavour to record all live lecture sessions and upload these to the online learning environment within 24 hours. This allows course participants to review these sessions at leisure and revisit them multiple times. Please note that we do not record breakout sessions.

All course participants retain access to the online learning materials and recordings for 3 months after the course. 

University of Bristol staff and postgraduate students who do not wish to attend the full course may instead register for access to the 'Materials & Recordings' version of this course: Further information and bookings.

100% of attendees recommend this course*.
*Attendee feedback from 2023.

Here is a sample of feedback from the last run of the course:

"Brilliant course. Will use time to listen to recorded sessions again!" - Course feedback, April 2023.

"Fantastic to hear about the strengths of including qualitative work in trials and the power this can have. I will definitely include qualitative work in future grant applications." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"Greater certainty and confidence to sell the need for qualitative research and it's importance in trials, along with a better understanding of how I can use it in intervention development and process evaluations." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"I like the mix of live and recorded sessions - and the option of text or talk chat for questions." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"It has opened my eyes to the benefits of qualitative work and has inspired me to engage with qualitative researchers in future projects." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"Markus was a friendly and efficient facilitator who kept time well and encouraged audience interaction. The mix of recorded and live lectures was effective." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"Really good content delivered in an engaging way." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"Really informative, well run, delivered on objectives." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"The examples provided were clear and useful for the material being discussed." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"The grant application stuff was really insightful." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"The variety of applications of quali research to RCTs was great." - Course feedback, April 2023.

"Well structured and organized." - Course feedback, April 2023.