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Contents Course Description Timberlake Consultants Ltd. (TCL), a distributor of Stata, responding to the increasing demand for training in the areas of research methodology and critical appraisal, are organising a set of distance learning courses. Timberlake Consultants invite you to participate in the Medical Statistics Course using Stata. The course is divided into four fortnightly sessions. Prior knowledge of statistics and research methodology is not required. Course Cost (per participant) for Users of Stata: £150 or $225 (including taxes). (Unless stated otherwise, the costs are in pounds sterling.) There is a 10% discount on the price of a new copy of Stata when purchased from one of the Timberlake Consultants offices at the same time as training. Aim of the Medical Statistics Course: The course aims to introduce the basic concepts and methods of statistics as applied to medical research. Following the introductory level material, the course gives a more in-depth look at the analysis of data arising from medical research. Sessions 3 and 4 also include critical appraisal methodology and exercises. A major goal of the course is to give participants the confidence and tools necessary for appraising medical research and to motivate the practice of evidence-based healthcare. The course makes extensive use of published medical research (especially free access e-journals), and provides an opportunity for hands-on statistical analyses using the software package Stata. Although this is not a course on Stata, it will give participants enough familiarity with the program and cover aspects of statistical analysis most relevant to medical research. Stata is a powerful yet easy to use data management, graphics and analysis software package. In recent years it has become the software of choice in many medical schools and leading research institutions (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Institute of Psychiatry, to name just a few in the UK). Who should enroll: The course is designed to meet the needs of health professionals, undergraduate medical students, and postgraduate students in the medical/health sciences field. The course should assist those wishing to
Access to Stata 8 is required. The Principal Lecturer - Dr. Filomena Pereira-Maxwell, MBBS & MSc, is the author of the book "A-Z of Medical Statistics: A Companion for Critical Appraisal", published in the UK by Edward Arnold and in the USA by Oxford University Press. She holds an MSc in Medical Statistics from the University of London (LSHTM). Benefits: The course will
Organization of the Course: The course is a distance-learning exercise with support from a lecturer and fellow course participants. Course participants are part of a closed e-mail list through which they receive course materials. The list also serves as a forum for discussion and problem solving. The course is scheduled to take place over 4 sessions. At the beginning of each session, participants receive the relevant materials, in addition to answers to exercises from the previous session. A period of 2 weeks is allowed between sessions. During this time, participants are expected to go over the course materials and work through exercises. Discussion among participants is encouraged. The course lecturer will provide answers and comments on set weekdays. The course requires no prior knowledge of statistics or epidemiology, and will be fairly comprehensive to accommodate different levels of background knowledge. Session 1 SELF-ASSESSMENT AND BASIC MEDICAL STATISTICS 1. Self-assessment exercises: Session 1 starts with a series of exercises participants are asked to complete. The aim is to give participants the opportunity to assess their knowledge prior to the course. The exercises should be completed without external help, including consultation of textbooks. 2. Basic medical statistics 1 – data types and data summaries 3. Graphics 4. The Normal distribution and how it relates to statistical methods 5. Basic medical statistics 2 – study hypotheses and hypothesis testing 6. Basic medical statistics 3 – estimation and confidence intervals Session 2 CORRELATION AND REGRESSION METHODS 1. Correlation – uses and misuses 2. Analysis of variance 3. Simple linear regression 4. Multiple regression – introduction to interaction and confounding 5. Logistic regression 6. Poisson regression 7. Cox regression 8. Regression diagnostics Session 3 EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES 1. Measures of disease occurrence and measures of exposure effect and impact 2. The cohort design 3. The case-control design 4. The cross-sectional design 5. Analysis of case-control and follow-up studies 6. Bias in epidemiological research 7. Stratification 8. Standardization 9. Biologic interaction 10. Calculation of sample size for different epidemiological designs 11. Critical appraisal of an article on aetiology or causation Session 4 CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 1. Conduct of clinical trials 2. Study designs 3. Measures of treatment/intervention effect and impact 4. Analysis of data arising from different study designs used in clinical trials 5. Bias in clinical trials and other intervention studies 6. Calculation of sample size 7. Critical appraisal of an intervention/therapy trial 8. Meta-analysis/Critical appraisal of a meta-analysis 9. Survival analysis/Critical appraisal of an article on prognosis 10. Diagnostic testing/Critical appraisal of an article on diagnostic testing 11. Reliability of clinical measurements The cost includes course notes. The number of participants is restricted. Please register early to guarantee your place. Closing date for applications is 20 December 2003. Registration closes 5 calendar days prior to the start of the course. Cancellations:
ENROLL NOW! Fill the Request for a Registration Form @ 2003 Timberlake Consultants®
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