| Unit name | Clinical research methods in chronic disease |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SOCS30001 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Wylde |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
This unit will introduce the students to clinical research methodology. Using musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions as disease models, the unit will illustrate commonly used clinical research methods, including randomised controlled trials, epidemiology studies, systematic reviews and qualitative research. The students will gain an understanding of the clinical aspects of disease and key features of clinical research methodology including research design, ethics, and patient involvement.
The unit aims to: (i) Provide students with fundamental knowledge of key clinical research methods and essential concepts in research design (ii) Provide students with an understanding of the clinical aspects of musculoskeletal and respiratory diseases
At the end of this unit the student should be able to: (i) describe clinical aspects of disorders involving the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems (ii) discuss the qualitative and quantitative methodologies that can be used in clinical research (iii) demonstrate understanding of the key factors that are crucial in research design (iv) write and present a basic research study proposal
This unit is taught through lectures, data handling sessions, interactive workshops, tutorials on literature and essay writing (which may be online or face-to-face, where appropriate). Independent study: students are expected to study the recommended literature and read further scientific literature to aid in writing the research proposal.
The unit will be assessed by a summative written research proposal that will be presented orally. The research proposal will be based on a choice of a provided research question. The structure of the research proposal will be provided and will be no more than 3000 words (75%). The student will also create a poster based on the research proposal and discuss this in a short oral presentation to a panel (25%). Formative feedback will be provided for drafts of the research proposal.
Selected relevant review papers from the literature
