Basic Clinical Research Tools

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2013:

Students should expect to undertake a minimum of 120 hours lectures, research, reading, writing etc to complete this subject successfully.

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For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

As scary to some people as they are hard to spell correctly! Yet biostatistics and epidemiology are essential to how clinical data is analysed. Not simply after-the-event add-ons, but determining the design and analysis of all the data that is collected. These fields have experts able to assist researchers, but without a good understanding of the basic principles of biostatistics and epidemiology, dialogue about the processes involved is difficult. A good grounding in this area facilitates group dynamics in research and provides a critical foundation for quality research.

Topics covered include:

• Basic descriptive data
• Probability and inference
• Analysis of two-way tables
• Differences of Means
• Simple correlation
• Case-series, cross-sectional, cohort, case-control studies and Randomised Clinical Trials (RCTs)
• Measurement of exposure
• Bias, random error and individual variation (including response variation)
• Sample size and power

Students who successfully complete this subject will be able to:

• Understand the basic principles in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different study designs
• Understand basic principles of epidemiological and clinical research
• Be familiar with terms used in the literature
• Understand statistical reasoning, including inference and the need for power and appropriate samples
• Perform basic statistical processes
• Understand the role, strengths and weaknesses of different study designs

A series of epidemiological and biostatistical exercises equivalent to 2,000 words (50%), and a review of segments of journal articles of 2,000 words (50%).

Students will be provided with articles and references that support the teaching program as part of their course materials.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.