The course focuses on the most important aspects of clinical research, which are finding a meaningful research question and planning an efficient, effective, and ethical study design. Designed as a practical guide, the course addresses basic and advanced concepts of most forms of clinical research, including translational research, clinical trials, patient-reported outcomes research, epidemiological studies, behavioural science and health services research conducted by physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals. It explains terms and principles of epidemiology, emphasizing a systematic and common-sense approach to challenging judgments one has to make when designing and implementing a clinical study.
Upon successful completion of this course, the participants will be able to
- Understand basic principles of patient-oriented and translational studies, epidemiological and behavioural studies, public health and health services research
- Critically analyse study design (research questions, study populations, measurements, hypotheses, and sample size)
- Evaluate different research design options, i.e., cross-sectional and cohort studies, case control and diagnostic test studies, and different types of clinical trials
- Apply additional skills needed for designing and implementing clinical research i.e., analytic approaches used to enhance design of clinical research
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