Description
Summary
You will be introduced to the basic concepts of study design, data presentation and analysis as utilised within health research. You will also be provided with the tools to effectively read and interpret published research and to help to undertake your own research studies. Specific topics covered include: designing research studies including allocation/randomisation procedures, blinding and confounding; summarising data (means, medians, and measures of spread); displaying data (why and how); the normal distribution and normal tables; making inferences; significance testing and confidence intervals; paired and unpaired t-tests; one-way ANOVA; analysis of categoric data; non-parametric analyses/tests; an introduction to bootstrapping techniques; and regression analysis.Ìý
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
After successfully completing the module, you should be able to:
- Outline and apply the basic concepts of study design and statistical analysis in medical research
- Identify and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of competing study types
- Interpret study findings
- Develop, conduct and interpret your own health research
- Analyse data using SPSS and interpret results.
Who is this module for?
This is a core module for the MSc Paediatrics and Child Health, MSc Advanced Physiotherapy, MSc Cell and Gene therapy, MRes Child Health, MSc Infancy and Early Childhood Development, MSc Personalised Medicine and MSc Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Teaching and Learning Methods
This module will be delivered as a series of workshops with a strong interactive element. You will generate some data and use this data to illustrate statistical concepts. The course will be accompanied by comprehensive notes and a moodle page with further information, interactive excel sheets to help with some calculations and additional practical worksheets with solutions.
Assessment
This module will be assessed by a 3 hours timed computer based exam (multiple choice questions and SPSS based questions)
Selected Reading List
Linear regression: an introduction to statistical models BookÌý by Peter Martin 2021Ìý EssentialÌý
An introduction to medical statistics BookÌý by Martin Bland 2015Ìý EssentialÌý
Practical statistics for medical research BookÌý by Douglas G. Altman 1991Ìý
Medical statistics: a guide to SPSS, data analysis, and critical appraisal BookÌý by Jennifer K. Peat; Belinda Barton 2014Ìý
Essential medical statistics BookÌý by Betty R. Kirkwood; Jonathan A. C. Sterne; Betty R. Kirkwood 2003Ìý
An introduction to medical statistics BookÌý by Martin Bland 2015Ìý
Medical statistics at a glance BookÌý by Aviva Petrie; Caroline Sabin 2020Ìý
Statistics with confidence: confidence intervals and statistical guidelines BookÌý by Douglas G. Altman 2000Ìý
Presenting medical statistics: from proposal to publication BookÌý by Janet Peacock; Sally M. Kerry; Raymond R. Balise 2017Ìý
Medical statistics: a textbook for the health sciences BookÌý by Michael J. Campbell; David Machin; Stephen John Walters c2007Ìý
Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics BookÌý by Andy P. Field 2018Ìý
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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