Research, Evidence and Ethics in Health

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 hours

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Research, evidence and ethics in health practice forms a key component of all research and postgraduate study. This subject will provide students with an opportunity to extend their understanding of evidence based practice, research methodology and critical analysis of published research. It will further develop skills in academic writing and introduce students to the role of ethics in academic activities of writing and research and more generally the role of ethics clinical practice.

Topics will include:

• Principles of evidence based practice;
• Techniques for critical evaluation of all aspects of published research relevant to the physiotherapy profession
• Concepts of measurement;
• Descriptive statistics and introduction to epidemiology.
• Critically appraise systematic reviews and clinical guidelines for the validity of their conclusions to contemporary physiotherapy clinical practice.
• Distinguishing structural features of and preparation necessary for essays, assignments, case studies, grant applications and research papers
• Key features of academic writing such as common formats, conventions and purposes
• Processes of academic writing
• Literature searching and retrieving
• Referencing styles and conventions
• Ethics in research and clinical practice

Students who successfully complete this subject will have had the opportunity to:

• Understand the process involved in practicing evidence-based physiotherapy
• Analyze clinometric properties when choosing measurement tools in physiotherapy practice
• Critically appraise experimental research studies and systematic reviews for the validity of their conclusions to contemporary physiotherapy clinical practice
• Synthesize evidence from experimental clinical research studies into physiotherapy practice
• Learn how to effectively search computerized medical literature databases
• Recognize the key features and components of academic writing
• Critique different styles of academic writing and distinguish between purposes, structure and characteristics
• Further develop skills in writing using established academic styles
• Identify the ethical dimensions of conducting clinical human research
• Examine and critique ethical issues relevant to clinical physiotherapy practice

• Critical appraisal of a research paper (1,500 words) (40%) due mid semester
• Mid Semester Quiz x 2 (30%) due week 4 and week 7
• Clinical ethics narrative and literature essay (2,000 words) (30%) due end of semester

• Herbert, R., Jamtvedt, G., Mead, J., & Hagen, K B. (2005). Practical evidence-based physiotherapy. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann.
• Portney, L G., & Watkins, M. Foundations of Clinical Research Applications to Practice. 3rd edition (2009) Prentice Hall
• Guillemin, M. and L. Gillam (2006). Telling Moments: Everyday Ethics in Health care. Melbourne, IP Communications

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject will have had the opportunity to:

• Develop skills of evidence-based practice including identification and critical appraisal of systematic reviews and high quality randomised controlled trials
• Develop an appreciation of the importance of good written and verbal communication skills to articulate knowledge in professional writing and clinical practice
• Have a greater awareness of ethics as it applies to physiotherapy practice