2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

MEDR5130M Intervention Research

15 creditsClass Size: 60

Module manager: Matthew Mulvey
Email: m.r.mulvey@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan), Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Pre-requisite qualifications

As per student's parent programme

This module is mutually exclusive with

MEDR5135M

Intervention Research (ICATCH)

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module provides students with a critical awareness of research planning and methods and develops their research skills. It will include topics on: formulating research questions; design and conduct of clinical trials; systematic reviews; allocation of subjects; statistical power; and critical appraisal of primary and secondary intervention studies.

Objectives

This module is an introduction to the research of health care interventions, particularly concerned with clinical trials, systematic reviews of clinical trials and health economics.
It will include topics on: formulating research questions, design and conduct of clinical trials, systematic reviews, allocation of subjects, and statistical power. Critical appraisal of published research will underpin theory.

Learning outcomes
Once a student has successfully completed the module and its assignments they should be able to:
- formulate an answerable research question about healthcare intervention
- contribute to the planning of a clinical trial taking account of ethical considerations
- define and describe the principles of clinical trial design (eg: parallel, cross-over and sequential designs)
- allocate subjects to interventions to take account of selection bias: randomization, concealment of allocation, complete follow-up
- take steps in study design that deal with confounding and effect modification
- take steps in study design to avoid measurement bias – masking -understand importance and principles of calculating statistical power; type I and II errors
- analyse research data, understanding explanatory and intention-to-treat strategies using statistical packages (eg SPSS, STATA)
- describe a trial using a standardized format (CONSORT)
- understand the process of systematic reviewing of trials and the findings of meta-analysis
- appraise critically published clinical trials and systematic reviews and apply standardized measures of trial quality
- understand the importance of health economics and economic evaluation in health research.

Skills outcomes
This module provides students with a critical awareness of research planning and methods and develops their research skills.
It will include topics on: formulating research questions; design and conduct of clinical trials; systematic reviews; allocation of subjects; statistical power; and critical appraisal of primary and secondary intervention studies.

Syllabus

Where able to be taught Face-to-Face the teaching style for this module will be active and participative. Where the module is taught entirely online we will replicate ‘group activities’ and students will be asked to complete online tasks and activities that mirror the pre-Covid19 teaching style.
Students will be introduced to: how questions about effectiveness of treatment and care can be answered in research; the principles underpinning design of randomized controlled trials; statistical power of trials; writing a proposal for an intervention study; analysis of trial data.
Students will gain knowledge and understanding of how to avoid false findings (chance, bias, confounding).
Students will work through specially written workbooks in computer classes (or if taught online will have access to the computer software remotely): analysis of research data (e.g.SPSS and Stata).
There will be a lecture exploring the principles and practicalities of systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Problem Based Learning	1	2.00	2.00
Problem Based Learning	1	3.00	3.00
Lecture	1	1.25	1.25
Lecture	1	2.50	2.50
Practical	1	1.25	1.25
Practical	1	2.50	2.50
Seminar	1	1.00	1.00
Seminar	2	2.50	5.00
Independent online learning hours			2.00
Private study hours			129.50
Total Contact hours			18.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Independent online learning will follow on from the formal classes and will make use of a portfolio of materials.
Students will also be expected to work in their own time, researching taught and online course work, building up their knowledge using the guidance provided by formal taught and online components of the module.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will complete in their own time an online test (e.g. MCQ/EMQ) with automated feedback that will be marked as a formative assessment.
The deadline for the formative assessment will be set to ensure students receive their formative feedback prior to summative assessment.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
In-course MCQ	Formative Quiz	0.00
Assignment	Individual completion of workbook begun in class activity	30.00
Report	Critical appraisal of a published trial (~900 words)	40.00
Report	Critical appraisal of a published systematic review (~900 words)	30.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

The dates on which coursework is set and submitted varies each time the module is delivered. Clear guidance will be given to students at the start of the module. Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 31/10/2024

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