| CODE | HSC5130 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Evidence Appraisal and Synthesis in the Health Sciences | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Health Sciences | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides students with the knowledge and skills to be able to carry out and appraise systematic reviews and research in the health sciences. It leads the student through the whole process of evidence appraisal and synthesis, providing students with an understanding of the strengths and limitations of systematic reviews and how to critically approach the available evidence and synthesize it to allow evidence-based conclusions to be drawn. Study-Unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to provide students with the skills and knowledge to appraise the evidence, synthesise the results and arrive at conclusions to guide research and health science practice. These aims are consistent with the overall purpose of the MSc in Health Science programmes, which is that of allowing students to be able to critique and conduct research of the highest quality and utilise evidence for practice. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe in detail the systematic review process in relation to a specific research question; - Identify the strengths and limitations of a published systematic review; - Identify ways of applying evidence appraisal and synthesis within a clinical and research setting; - Identify ways of describing and appraising primary research studies. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Carry out a comprehensive and systematic search using online databases and other methods to identify evidence; - Screen the evidence in relation to its relevance to the scope of the review; - Describe and appraise the primary research studies in relation to the quality of the available evidence using suitable critical appraisal tools; - Provide a summary of the main conclusions on the basis of the available evidence. Main Text/s and Supplementary Readings Main Texts: - Gough, D., Oliver, O., Thomas, J. (ed.) (2012) An introduction to systematic reviews Sage Publications Ltd. - Glasziou, P., Irwig, L., Bain, C., Colditz, G. (2001). Systematic Reviews in healthcare: A Practical Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Ajentumobi, O. (2002). Making sense of critical appraisal. London: Hodder Arnold. - Greenhalgh, T. (2010). How to read a paper: the basics of evidence based medicine (4th ed.) London: BMJ. Supplementary Readings: - Crombie, I.K. (1996). The pocket guide to critical appraisal: a handbook for health professionals. London: BMJ. - Khan, K.S., Kunz, R., Kleijnen, J., Antes, J., (2005). Systematic reviews to support evidence-based medicine: How to review and apply findings of health care research. London: Royal Society of Medicine. - Straus, S.E., Richardson, W.S., Glasziou, P., & Haynes, R.B. (2011). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (4th ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: BSc(Hons) Health Science or equivalent degree. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Roderick Bugeja Michelle Camilleri Vincent Marmara Josef Trapani |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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