| Unit name | Clinical epidemiology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0033 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Penny Whiting |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Clinical epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology that focuses on applying epidemiological principles and methods to assess the outcomes and effectiveness of healthcare practices and interventions in clinical settings. It bridges the gap between traditional epidemiology, which focuses primarily on studying the distribution of diseases in populations and causes of disease, and clinical medicine. It helps answers questions like “How effective are cannabinoids at treating chronic pain?”, “How accurate are blood tests for diagnosing coeliac disease?”, and “How long is a new hip likely to last?”.
This unit will introduce you to some of the key concepts and study designs commonly employed in clinical epidemiology including survey and questionnaire design, randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, and diagnostic and prognostic research studies. You will learn how to formulate specific research questions, design robust primary studies and systematic reviews and think critically about the strengths and limitations of these study types.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This compulsory unit in Teaching Block 1 will develop your skills in critical thinking and understanding of some of the main study designs used in clinical epidemiology. It will build on the basic epidemiological and statistical concepts introduced in the “Introduction to Epidemiology and Statistics” unit, providing a strong foundation to progress to the more advanced epidemiology and statistics units in Teaching Block 2. Some of the concepts introduced in this unit will feed into the dissertation unit, particularly the learning on systematic reviews as many students will choose an evidence synthesis topic for their dissertation.
An overview of content
This unit is divided into four distinct components:
You will also be introduced to the principles of research ethics and regulatory processes and how qualitative and health economic research can complement quantitative research.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
At the end of this unit, you will have developed the knowledge and core skills needed to design your own research studies and to critique published evidence. These skills and abilities will directly prepare you for a career in epidemiology or a further higher degree in this field, increasing your career options and employability.
Learning Outcomes
The majority of learning on this unit will be face-to-face teaching through a mixture of lectures, workshops, and individual and group practical exercises. In-person teaching will be supplemented by some asynchronous interactive teaching sessions. You will experience how to conduct a systematic review through a series of structured group work sessions. Opportunities to ask questions and discuss key issues as a group are provided throughout the programme.
You will be assigned homework to support and consolidate your learning. This will include reading, accessing web-based supplementary materials, quizzes and asynchronous lectures. Some homework is compulsory, but we also provide additional resources, for example asynchronous lectures, for those that want to extend their learning beyond the core unit content.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Practical classes and group work throughout the unit will consolidate your learning. You will work through exercises and tasks with tutor support, enabling instant feedback. You will work in small groups to conduct your own mini-systematic reviews guided by the unit tutors. These will be presented to your tutors and peers who will provide constructive feedback on presentation content, delivery and structure.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
There are three summative assessments for this unit:
When assessment does not go to plan
If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0033).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
