Unit EPIDEMIOLOGY AND METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
- Course
- Midwifery
- Study-unit Code
- A003277
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Francesco Santini
- CFU
- 7
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2023
- Offered
- 2023/24
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa integrata
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Code | 50996702 |
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CFU | 2 |
Teacher | Chiara De Waure |
Teachers |
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Hours |
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Learning activities | Base |
Area | Scienze propedeutiche |
Academic discipline | MED/42 |
Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
Language of instruction | Italian |
Contents | Definition and objective of the epidemiology. Measures of occurrence, association and impact. Introduction to study design. Observational and experimental study designs. Bias. |
Reference texts | Ricciardi W, Boccia S [Editors]. Igiene - Medicina preventiva - Sanita' pubblica. Idelson Gnocchi 2021 Manzoli L, Villari P, Boccia A [Editors]. Epidemiologia e management in sanità. Elementi di metodologia. Edi. Ermes 2015 |
Educational objectives | The aim of the course is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to produce robust evidence and to critical appraise the evidence within the health sector. |
Prerequisites | Knowledge of secondary school mathematic and biology |
Teaching methods | Lectures and exercises |
Other information | |
Learning verification modality | Oral exam |
Extended program | Definition and objective of the epidemiology: origins, development and fields of application. Measures of occurrence: meaning and calculation of prevalence and incidence measures. Measure of association: meaning and calculation of risk ratio and odds ratio. Measure of impact: meaning and calculation of attributable risks. Crude, specific and adjusted rates: meaning and calculation. Introduction to study design: general characteristics and applications of different study designs. Observational study designs: requisites, characteristics and stages of implementation of cross-sectional studies, cohort studies and case-control studies. Experimental study designs: requisites, characteristics and stages of implementation of trials. Random and systematic errors: definition, consequences and methods of their control. Tools for drafting and reading a research protocol and a research article. |
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Code | GP003880 |
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CFU | 2 |
Teacher | Francesco Santini |
Teachers |
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Hours |
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Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
Area | Scienze interdisciplinari |
Academic discipline | INF/01 |
Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
Language of instruction | Italian |
Contents | HTML and CSS programming, visualization of content through a Webpage. Databases and search engines in Life Sciences and Biomedical topics (PubMed). Introduction to Word. Introduction to Powerpoint. Introduction to Excel. R language. |
Reference texts | Handouts. |
Educational objectives | Students will learn how the basics of computer programming in HTML/CSS and R languages. Moreover, they will be introduced to Word, Powerpoint and Excel, and how to search for information in PubMed. |
Prerequisites | No specific requirement. |
Teaching methods | Frontal lessons with slides and laboratory exercises. |
Other information | Website: www.unistudium.unipg.it For the exam schedule, see: https://unipg.esse3.cineca.it |
Learning verification modality | The exam project consists in choosing a scientific article through PubMed, and presenting it with a Website, a report in Word, a presentation in Powerpoint, and finally representing data with an Excel sheet. The assignment will be prepared in groups and individually discussed during the oral exam. For information on support services for students with disabilities and/or DSA visit the page http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa |
Extended program | HTML (tags and advanced tags). Page composition and float sections. CSS language. Font, colors, charset. Life Sciences and Biomedical databases (PubMed, etc.). Search for information in PubMed. Introduction to Word and how to prepare a scientific report. Mail merge. Introduction to Powerpoint and how to prepare a presentation. Introduction to Excel and statistical functions. Introduction to R language. (optional) |
METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH
Code | A003278 |
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CFU | 2 |
Teacher | Eleonora Brillo |
Teachers |
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Hours |
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Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
Area | Scienze ostetriche |
Academic discipline | MED/47 |
Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
Contents | The course introduces students to the main issues in evidence based medicine (EBM), literature research and review, databases (Cochrane Library and Medline/PubMed), methodology for drawing up protocols and final reports of systematic reviews, key features of meta-analyses and forest plots, research designs of primary studies, reading and assessment of scientific texts, methodology for writing protocols for clinical trials. |
Educational objectives | By the end of the course students should be able to: -describe evidences meaning and importance for clinical decision-making; -analyze critically and employ some support tools for decision making (procedures, protocols, guidelines, consensus conferences documents); -formulate foreground questions using a structured framework (e.g. PICO); -carry out a searching strategy to find information on a topic in different search engines (MedLine/PubMed and Cochrane Library); -distinguish a systematic review from other types of reviews; -describe the importance of systematic reviews/meta-analyses for clinical decision-making; -describe the components of a search protocol for a systematic review; -interpret a forest plot; -describe the main distinctive features of different study types (in primary research); -assess methodological quality of some study types (in primary research); -plan a simple design of primary research, identifying the main elements and steps. |
MEDICAL STATISTICS
Code | 50A00030 |
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CFU | 1 |
Teacher | Roberto Fabiani |
Teachers |
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Hours |
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Learning activities | Base |
Area | Scienze propedeutiche |
Academic discipline | MED/01 |
Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
Language of instruction | ITALIAN |
Contents | 1) Statistics purposes and definitions 2) Types and scales of measurement 3) Summary measures: central tendency, and variability 4) Representation of data in graphs and tables 5) Theoretical probability distributions 6) Standardized normal curve 7) Inferential statistics 8) Point and interval estimates 9) Hypothesis testing: null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis 10) Tests of statistical significance 11) Contingency tables 12) Risk measures 13) Correlation and simple linear regression 14) Diagnostic tests 15) Critical analysis of literature and scientific papers |
Reference texts | The notes taken in class and the slides made available by the lecturer. The slides are concise, so they are not material exhaustive of the topics covered for which the following text is recommended for reference and further study: Statistics for Biomedical Disciplines - Stanton A. Glantz. McGraw Hill Education, 2007. (with CD-ROM). ISBN: 9788838639258 |
Educational objectives | Know the essentials of medical statistics and be able to apply the knowledge to reading scientific publications (critically interpret the type of study design and statistical analysis, read and interpret tables, graphs and results of statistical methods used). Acquire the minimum skills that will help in the writing of the dissertation. |
Prerequisites | None |
Teaching methods | Theoretical and practical lessons |
Other information | None |
Learning verification modality | Written examination |
Extended program | 1) Statistics purpose and definitions Sample and universe Parameters and estimates Study design Types of study 2) Types and scales of measurement Nominal Ordinal Of interval Of ratio 3) Summary measures: central tendency and variability Mean Median Fashion Variance Standard deviation Range Interquartile range Coefficient of variation 4) Representation of data in graphs and tables Histograms Bar graphs Stem and leaf plot Dot plot Box and whiskers plot Pie charts 5) Theoretical probability distributions The normal distribution 6) Standardized normal curve Characteristics 7) Inferential statistics Sample distribution of the mean Central limit theorem 8) Point and interval estimates Standard error Confidence limits 9) Hypothesis testing: null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis Hypothesis formulation Decision criterion Statistical error of 1st and 2nd kind; Power of the test Sample size. 10) Tests of statistical significance. Parametric tests for independent data Parametric tests for paired data Nonparametric tests for independent data Non-parametric tests for paired data 11) Contingency tables Chi square test Yates correction Fisher's exact test 12) Risk measures Relative risk Odds ratio 13) Correlation and simple linear regression Correlation between variables Parametric and nonparametric correlation coefficient Regression line and regression coefficients 14) Diagnostic tests Sensitivity Specificity Predictive values of the test ROC curve 15) Critical analysis of literature and scientific papers Subject or hypothesis of the study Design Data analysis Presentation of results Conclusions |
Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile | Health and Wellness |