Health Care

Core Course Research Methods & Statistics

The core course taken by all students wishing to undertake the full MSc is Research Methods and Statistics.

Rationale

Knowledge of research designs and statistical techniques has become an important factor in the delivery of evidence based health care. In this course students will develop skills in qualitative and quantitative approaches to research.  The need to conduct rigorous and systematic research is paramount given the introduction of a variety of new technologies and advances in care and treatment in the NHS.

On completion of the course students will be enabled to design and participate in professionally based sessions with other students.  This approach will also facilitate skills in research techniques and students will be supported in identifying those transferable skills from the course that they can use in the delivery of evidence based health care

Intended learning outcomes

• Appraise the logic of the research process
• Evaluate the relationship of theory to research design
• Critically appraise styles of research and their associated methods
• Evaluate the relationship between data analysis and research methods
• Critically evaluate the difficulties researchers face in studying clinical problems
• Appreciate the ethical problems involved in research and understand the process involved in gaining Ethics approval for a proposed study
• Understand threats to internal and external validity and have a knowledge of the factors that affect instrument reliability