Module overview
This module focuses on the epidemiological methods and approaches that underpin an evidence based approach to public health research and practice. The module covers each of the main types of epidemiological study design and provides a framework for critically appraising each method, differentiating association and how to draw causal inferences. The module includes sessions on chance, bias, confounding, measures of disease frequency and risk estimation and hypothesis testing. The module provides guidance as to how to critically appraise published studies and to how to design studies.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- How to calculate and interpret measures of disease frequency including prevalence and incidence rates and risk.
- Prevention and screening.
- Interpretation of statistical estimation, hypothesis tests and inference to epidemiological data.
- Calculating and interpreting measures of association and effect size (odds ratios, relative and absolute risk, population attributable risk and number needed to treat).
- The role of chance, bias and confounding in explaining associations and be able to describe ways to deal with confounding and bias.
- Observational and interventional epidemiological study designs for a range of health-related issues and concepts of causal inference.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Identify the key sources of epidemiological and public health data and evaluate different types of study design and problems of measurement.
- Evaluate the sources of bias in epidemiological studies including information bias and selection bias.
- Understand the difference between association and causation and assess causation
- Critique epidemiological research evidence demonstrating the knowledge and ability to appraise scientific validity.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Communicate epidemiological concepts, data and information.
- Use problem solving skills for a range of situations.
- Discuss ideas and scrutinize information in critical, evaluative and analytical ways.
Syllabus
- Epidemiological associations and causal inference
- Understanding rates and risk
- Chance, bias, and confounding
- Observational study designs: Cohort, case-control, cross-sectional and ecological
- Experimental study designs: Randomised and non-randomised, complex interventions
- Systematic review and meta-analysis
- Critical appraisal
- Epidemiology in range of fields with special interests e.g., environmental, life course and nutrition
- Prevention strategies and principles of screening
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
A variety of methods will be used including lectures, active participatory methods, case studies of epidemiology in practice, e-learning/interactive tools for learning and self-assessment, practical exercises, guided reading, group study and individual study.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 40 |
| Independent Study | 160 |
| Total study time | 200 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
Assessment
Assessment strategy
The assessment includes both formative and summative elements. There will be three components to the summative assessment i) written research funding proposal, ii) written critical appraisal and iii) multiple choice question (MCQ) quiz and one component to the formative assessment that will be a group oral presentation.
The pass mark for the module and written components is 50%. You must also pass the online MCQ quiz by achieving a mark of 80% or above. If you fail the MCQ quiz you are allowed to take it again until you pass within the specified time period. If you do not achieve the pass mark on this module by achieving 50% or more in both written summative components, you may still pass by compensation for the critical appraisal summative assessment. To do this you must achieve a qualifying mark of 40% in the critical appraisal assessment. Each of the component marks is then combined, using the appropriate weighting, to give an overall mark for the module. If this overall mark is greater than or equal to 50% you will have passed the module. If your overall mark is less than 50% when the weighting has been applied to the components, you will have failed the module.
If you have not achieved 40% or more in the critical appraisal component, you cannot use compensation and will have failed the module. If you have failed the module, the Board of Examiners may offer you the opportunity to submit work at the next referral (re-sit) for components where you have not achieved the pass mark (50%). Marks for components that were passed (50% or higher) will be carried forward. You must achieve the pass mark in all referred components. On passing your referrals, your final module mark will be capped at 50%.
The requirement to pass the research proposal summative assessment without compensation applies only to students enrolled on the Faculty of Medicine Public Health suite of programmes.
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Group presentationSummative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written Individual Research Funding Proposal | 60% |
| Written critical appraisal | 40% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Written critical appraisal | 40% |
| Written Individual Research Funding Proposal | 60% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External