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MPC (Master of Primary Care)

Core courses and research project

MPC students must complete all of the following courses, plus the research project

PLEASE NOTE "Introduction to primary care", "Populations to individuals" and "Research methods" are also available as accredited CPD (worth 20 points at masters levels) for non-MPC students.

Introduction to primary care

This course is delivered as 11 x 2.5 hour teaching sessions, in Semester 1 (September to December)

Day and time

Tuesdays
09.30 to 12.00

Purpose

To provide an overview of primary care including its definition, core values, history, current content and organisation, and future challenges.

Aim

  • To provide a grounding in the principles, values and systems that comprise primary care in Scotland, UK and the wider primary care world.
  • To enable graduates to engage in and contribute to current debates about the changing face of primary care.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Synthesise the key features of primary care and consider how these are incorporated in the NHS
  • Compare and contrast examples of primary care in different countries, economies and cultures
  • Critique the recent development and current drivers of change in primary care in the UK
  • Analyse and reflect on the main challenges facing the delivery of effective, efficient and equitable primary care services
  • Evaluate the principles of providing care for people with long term conditions and critique how these are applied in the NHS
  • Synthesise, critique and reflect on the key components of anticipatory care and the challenges in delivering this model of care in different types of population
  • Define the inverse care law, reflect and critique the factors which maintain its operation in the NHS
  • Consider ways in which individuals may take a more active part in living with health problems and risks, critically assessing the impact on both patients and health provision
  • Analyse the challenges of joint working, with particular reference to the role of Community Health Partnerships.

Format

Sessions are delivered by a mix of short didactic presentations, small group working and on-line exercises.

Content

  • Defining and assessing the essential components of primary care
  • Components of the Scottish primary care systems
  • The impact of demographics, resources and philosophies on delivering efficient and equitable primary care in different environments
  • Primary care systems in different countries and cultures
  • Primary health care in the developing world
  • Global primary care
  • Scottish policy: equality or equity
  • Local challenges and delivery of national policy
  • Anticipatory care
  • The inverse care law
  • Thc changing face of primary care

Assessment

3000 word essay, drawing on the course, professional experience and the literature 

Reading

What students have said about this course...

  • "Excellent view of primary care as central to health - population approaches balanced with individual care"
  • "Brilliant lectures. Very relevant"
  • "Enjoyed meeting other health professionals, and hearing about their experiences in primary care"
  • "A very eye-opening course, and gives broad context of the health system. I believe everyone should do this course"
  • "I have thoroughly enjoyed the course, and am confident I will be a more thoughful practitioner"

Apply

Populations to individuals: statistics, epidemiology and critical appraisal for primary care

This course is delivered as 11 x 2.5 hour teaching sessions, in Semester 2 (January to March)

Day and time

Tuesdays
09.30 to 12.00

Purpose

To introduce students to the related disciplines of statistics and epidemiology, with the learning reinforced through the practical skill of critical appraisal of research papers.

Aim

The overall aim of the course is that students should become competent in making use of available data, epidemiological and statistical principles and research evidence to inform a population approach in primary care.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able:

  • To explain and apply basic statistical concepts in the use of health and heath care data, including measures of central tendency, properties of measurement, the normal distribution, significance testing and regression to the mean
  • To select and appraise appropriate routine and non-routine data for the assessment of different types of health need within a population, including estimation of unmet need.
  • To select and appraise appropriate information with which to assess variations in the quality of care provided for particular populations (with reference to structure, process and outcome; and to effectiveness, efficiency and equity)
  • To explain the principles and practical aspects of prevention in primary care, including definitions of risk, primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, the strengths and weaknesses of high risk and mass strategies, and the prevention paradox.
  • To explain the principles and practice of achieving high coverage/response rates in population approaches in primary care, including screening, case-finding and cross-sectional studies
  • To interpret observed differences and associations in health and health care data, including artefactual, chance, bias and confounding explanations.
  • To assess possible explanations of observed trends and differences in mortality rates
  • To explain and apply the criteria for determining the causal nature of an observed association, and the strengths and weaknesses of epidemiological study designs (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort and randomised controlled trial) to provide such information.
  • To explain the principles, practice and problems of screening tests and programmes in a primary care context
  • To apply epidemiological and statistical principles in the appraisal of published research literature.

Format

Sessions are delivered by a mix of short didactic presentations, small group working and written exercises.

Content

  • Types of data, presentation and statistical tests
  • Principles of statistical significance testing
  • Epidemiology: basic concepts
  • Epidemiology: applying concepts to populations
  • Critical appraisal of a cohort and a case-control study
  • Critical appraisal of a randomised controlled trial
  • Risk, NNTs
  • Epidemiology: diagnosis and screening
  • Epidemiology: levels of prevention
  • Correlation and regression

Assessment

  • Completion of written exercises throughout the course (formative assessment). 
  • Critical appraisal of a selected paper (from a selection offered by us): worth 25% of overall assessment.
  • Exam consisting of short questions and interpretation of data: worth 75% of overall assessment.

What students have said about this course...

  • "Very good course which is very relevant to everyday work"
  • "Excellent course, great tutors, approachable, always willing to help"
  • "I have learned a lot in a very enjoyable way"
  • "Appreciated the open and interactive style"
  • "I feel more able to use articles and papers appropriately to change practice"

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Research methods

This course is delivered over two semesters.

  • Semester 1
    Face-to-face teaching, delivered over 11 weeks, each session 2.5 hours.
  • Semester 2
    A minimum of 2 face-to-face meetings with assigned project supervisor, leading up to compulsory presentation of project protocol.

Other teaching will include research methods support sessions during both semesters and on-line teaching.

Day and time

Wednesdays
09.30 to 12.00

Purpose

To introduce students to the process of designing and conducting research studies, both quantitative and qualitative, utilising the approaches of primary data collection or analysis of secondary data. As well as giving students an introduction into the research process, this course will begin to equip them with the skills required to complete their project dissertation.

Successful completion of this course will be essential to ensure progression to the MPC project dissertation.

Aim

  • To equip students with an understanding of the research process, such that they can design, conduct, analyse and write up the project dissertation.
  • To synthesise and critique the strengths and weaknesses of different methods and approaches in different situations.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Define and appraise the research process, from articulating aims and objectives, through selection of the most appropriate methodological approach, sampling, data collection, analyses and writing up.
  • Understand and demonstrate the paradigms of quantitative and qualitative research, together with the underpinning rational for sampling, data collection and analyses of each approach.
  • Understand and critically evaluate which research designs can answer which types of research question.
  • Develop the skills of designing a research protocol, critically evaluating possible difficulties.
  • Understand, discuss and reflect on the concepts of ethics and research governance and the practical implications of each.
  • Select a topic suitable for the development of an empirical piece of primary or secondary research.
  • Prepare and present, both orally and in writing in a clear, concise and critical manner, a study protocol, including timetabling.

Format

Sessions would be delivered by a mix of short didactic presentations and small group working with exercises built in each week to enable the students to start developing their own research idea into a research protocol.

Content

  • An overview of the research process, including quantitative and qualitative approaches
  • Study designs – what approach for what question? (Practical exercise)
  • Resume of study designs, including examples of research conducted within the unit (including previous MPC projects)
  • Developing aims and objectives
  • Literature searching. (Computing session)
  • Sampling for quantitative and qualitative research
  • Reviews: Systematic and thematic
  • Questionnaire design
  • Data management and quantitative analysis
  • Interviews and focus groups
  • Qualitative analysis
  • Research ethics and governance
  • Writing a protocol and timetabling your study

Assessment

  • Identification of a research question and the development of a study protocol, with attention paid to the practical, methodological and ethical issues raised.
  • Oral presentation of protocol to class and members of staff.

Reading material

  • Bowling A. 2004. Research methods in health, 2nd edition. Open University Press. ISBN: 0-335-20643-3.
  • Silverman D. 2004. Qualitative research: Theory, method and practice, 2nd edition. SAGE Publications. ISBN: 0-7619-4934-8.
  • Creswell JW. 2003. Research design. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, 2nd edition. SAGE Publications. ISBN: 0-7619-2442-6.

What students have said about this course...

  • "Thorough grounding in all types of research"
  • "Course organised in a clear and useful manner"
  • "Good overall introduction to research methods in preparation for the year ahead"
  • "Prepared us well"

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Research project

Purpose

To introduce students to the process of designing, conducting, analysing and reporting a research study and give students a practical grounding in the issues of:

  • Developing suitable research questions.
  • Developing structured literature searches.
  • Reviewing and appraising relevant literature.
  • Developing a study design that is appropriate to answer the research questions.
  • Considering and, where applicable, obtaining ethical and/or research governance approvals.
  • Understanding the practicalities of conducting research.
  • Engaging with others in the conduct of research.
  • Analysing and reporting the study in a manner appropriate to the study design.
  • Drawing conclusions and recommendations from the study findings.
  • Reflecting on the research process.

Successful completion of the project will be essential in order to be awarded the Master of Primary Care degree.

Aim

  • To equip students with a practical understanding of the research process, such that they can design, conduct, analyse and write up the project dissertation.
  • To assess students’ performance against the educational objectives of breadth, depth, synthesis and originality, to which they were introduced in the "Research methods" course.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Complete the research process, from articulating aims and objectives, through selection of the most appropriate methodological approach, sampling, data collection, analyses and writing up.
  • Critically assess and summarise the literature in a specific field.
  • Develop the skills of designing an appropriate research protocol.
  • Complete a research ethics committee application and/or research governance approval application, if required.
  • Develop methods of data collection appropriate to the aims of the project.
  • Negotiate access to the research setting and obtain appropriate permissions to conduct the research project, if required.
  • Analyse data appropriately, according to the methodological approach selected.
  • Write up and report on the findings of the project.

Format and assessment

The project is assessed by a dissertation fo approximately 15,000 words. 

Students will be assigned a supervisor during the preceding "Research methods" course and are expected to have regular meetings with their supervisor throughout the duration of the project. The timescale for project completion will be different for full and part-time students. However, for part-time students conducting original research, the project must be completed within 12 months of obtaining ethical approval.

Project topics have a primary care focus. Research questions tend to be generated from the research interests of General Practice & Primary Care staff; however, ideas related to a student’s workplace may also be considered. 

Types of project

The following are all acceptable as MPC projects:

  • Empirical data collection, involving either quantitative of qualitative methods (N.B. This type of project is less feasible for full-time students due to fixed time limitations).
  • Secondary analyses of routine data or datasets collected as part of a larger project
  • Literature review using Cochrane-type systematic review approaches, thematic analyses or integrative approaches. (N.B. This is more extensive and rigorous than the literature review that forms part of all project submissions).
  • Case study
  • Audit
  • Evaluation

Past projects

Successful research projects completed by previous MPC students include:

  • Processes of Preoperative Assessment in Elective Surgery: a Systematic Review of Reviews
  • An exploratory study on the influence of deprivation on parents' perceptions of overweight and obesity in children
  • Practice development nurses and mental health issues
  • An audit, to compare current practice in prescribing of gluten free foods for the treatment of coeliac disease by General Practitioners 
  • Consultation length in the context of interpersonal effectiveness
  • Systematic review on the impact of nurse telephone triage on A&E outcomes
  • Developing a method to identify and address the learning needs of podiatrists
  • Retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes for South Asian diabetic patients
  • A mixed method evaluation of mindfulness based cognitive therapy for depression and anxiety in primary care 

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Apply for the Master of Primary Care