Overview
Course name: Clinical Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice
Instructor:
Date: Spring, 2020
Course Description:
Develop a solid understanding of the principles of clinical epidemiology and its application to public health and healthcare settings. Topics will include measures of test accuracy, principles of screening and prevention, systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic tests and treatments, clinical decision rule development and validation, decision support tools, communication with patients and other healthcare professionals regarding effectiveness, practice guidelines, and critical appraisal of the medical literature.
Objectives:
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Describe the diagnostic and therapeutic process, including the threshold model of decision-making.
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Effectively search the medical literature to identify the best available evidence on a public health or medical topic.
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Critically appraise original research articles about screening, prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.
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Explain the strengths and weaknesses of quasi-experimental studies and clinical trials with relation to bias and validity.
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Read a study about treatment and communicate the results clearly to colleagues using absolute risk reduction and number needed to treat or harm.
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Calculate measures of test accuracy and communicate the results effectively to colleagues.
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Describe different types of clinical decision rules and how their validity should be evaluated.
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Determine whether a proposed screening test or preventative intervention should be adopted based on an understanding of basic principles of screening and prevention.
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Describe the methodological strengths and weaknesses of a systematic review or meta-analysis.
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Perform a simple meta-analysis of a diagnostic test or treatment study and report the results to colleagues.
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Describe the optimal process for developing a clinical practice guideline of a screening or prevention intervention.