Unit information: Clinical epidemiology in 2023/24

Unit name	Clinical epidemiology
Unit code	BRMSM0033
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Professor. Penny Whiting
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	None
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one	N/A
School/department	Bristol Medical School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Unit Information

The aims of this unit are to:

• Introduce key concepts and study designs commonly employed in clinical epidemiology
• Give a practical understanding of survey and questionnaire design.
• Provide an overview of the key principles of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and equip students with the skills to critically assess trial methodology.
• Introduce systematic reviews of RCTs, with the aim of ensuring that students can recognise the implications of being non-systematic, non-comprehensive, non-rigorous or non-transparent in putting together evidence syntheses.
• Give a practical understanding of conducting diagnostic and prognostic research and identify strengths and weaknesses in diagnostic and prognostic studies.
• Provide a strong foundation for the study design and dissertation modules taught later in the course.

Your learning on this unit

By the end of this unit students should be able to:

1. Describe the principles of survey and questionnaire design and validation
2. Explain common challenges in the design and analysis of RCTs and describe how they are addressed to minimise bias in the resulting evidence
3. Understand and contribute to the key stages of a systematic review
4. Critically appraise diagnostic research

How you will learn

Teaching will include learning activities set by the tutor including lectures, small group work, discussions, individual tasks, and practical activities.

Directed and self-directed learning will include activities such as reading, accessing web-based supplementary materials, critical analysis and completion of assessments

How you will be assessed

Formative assessment: Informal questioning, quizzes and group work in lectures and tutorials. These will form assessments for learning and will not contribute to the final unit mark. Feedback will consolidate learning for the summative assessments. Students will work in small groups to conduct a mini-systematic review. They will give a formative presentation to their peers summarising the methods and findings of their reviews.

Summative assessment: There are four summative assessments for this unit:

• Written questionnaire design exercise (ILO 1; 10% of total unit mark)
• Term-time closed book exam to conduct a critical appraisal of a randomise controlled trial (ILO 2; 25% of unit mark)
• Written report on systematic reviews of RCTs (ILOs 2-3; 30% of total unit mark)
• Written critical appraisal of a diagnostic accuracy, up to 2000 words in length (ILOs 4; 35% of total unit mark)

An overall score of 50% across the four assessments is required to pass the unit.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0033).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.