22320 - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Marc Terradellas Fernández

Trimester: Second term

Credits: 6

• Catalan

L'idioma habitual d'impartició serà el català, però poden haver-hi documents en castellà i anglès.

The rapid development and growth of the various areas of the Health Sciences has resulted in the need to support our clinical practice in scientific evidence. Currently, it is no longer enough to justify decision-making with observation, but it is necessary to objectify and measure the effectiveness and validity of our interventions and treatments.

So that the results of a research study are reliable and can be extrapolated to the clinical field, it is necessary that the entire research process is developed according to a certain and systematic methodology. Likewise, Biostatistics must be responsible for defining, synthesizing and interrelating the data obtained with the research with the aim of providing an objective measure of the object of study. 

Therefore, the aim of this subject is, on the one hand, to teach students the basics of the scientific method and to provide the bases and basic work tools to be able to design, analyze and, especially, interpret a research project.    

• Acquire evidence-based Physiotherapy criteria, critical analysis of knowledge
• Acquire and master English applied to Health Sciences and Physical Activity.
• Understand the importance of reasoning based on scientific evidence. Justification of the interventions based on the evidence that supports them.
• Analyze the results of published evidence. It determines their degree of validity and applicability in the environment in which they must develop their intervention.
• It applies the Evidence-Based Medicine method to the various areas of Health Sciences and Physical Activity. Search in scientific databases, critical analysis of studies, drawing conclusions for their clinical applicability.
• It incorporates the communication and dissemination of results as part of the therapeutic intervention process. 
• It incorporates English as a language for learning and disseminating scientific knowledge. Use in inter-professional communication.  

In all presentations by the teacher and in his interrelationship with the students, the gender perspective. Likewise, students will be recommended to include this perspective in their work. Finally, examples will be shown, if they appear, of how this perspective has not been taken into account in some of the studies used to illustrate some of the class themes.

The aim of this subject is to be as applied as possible, avoiding unnecessary terminologies and complex techniques and, instead, insisting that the students obtain the necessary resources to find, interpret, evaluate and use a scientific result, as well as moving from a research question formulated by the students to design and realization of a scientific project.

It is encouraged cooperation between students through group work. This is due to the intrinsically cooperative and multidisciplinary nature of research.  

The subject of Research Methodology and Biostatistics is divided into three blocks:

BLOCK I: The scientific method

Topic 1: Introduction to research in Health Sciences

Topic 2: The scientific method. Types of investigations

Topic 3: The scientific process. The phases of research in Health Sciences

• The research question 
• Objectives and hypotheses
• Introduction and justification
• Types of epidemiological designs
• The population under study. Sampling
• Tools for data collection
• Types of bias in research

Topic 4: Ethics in clinical research.

BLOCK II: Search and use of scientific information

Topic 5: Introductory concepts

Topic 6: Introduction to information sources

• Types of information sources
• Controlled language and free language
• Bibliometry

Item 7. Review of the literature

• Approach
• Strategies and instruments

Topic 8: Sources of information in Physiotherapy, Physical Activity and Sports and Health Sciences

• Resource directory
• Resource analysis
• Sources of information at the Tecnocampus

Topic 9: Bibliographic citation and bibliographic reference managers

• Basics
• Mendeley

BLOCK III: Biostatistics

Unit 10: Introduction to Statistics

• Databases
• Statistical packages
• Types of variables and measurement scales

Item 11: Descriptive statistics

• Frequency tables
• Contingency and categorization tables.
• Indices and rates
• Central tendency estimators
• Dispersion and position estimators

Topic 12: Probability distributions

Topic 13: Inferential statistics

• Hypothesis test
• Types of errors and p-value
• Punctual estimators
• Confidence intervals
• Comparison of averages
• Comparison of proportions
• Correlation and regression

MD1. Expository method or master class: to transmit knowledge and to activate the cognitive processes of the student by means of a unidirectional learning

MD2. Case study: acquiring learning through the analysis of real or simulated cases

MD3. Solving exercises and problems: exercising, rehearsing and putting into practice previous knowledge

MD4. Problem-based learning (PBL): developing active knowledge through problem solving

This subject will be evaluated as follows:

To pass the subject it is necessary to obtain one grade of 5/10 in the final exam.

According to current regulations, only those students who have obtained a qualification of suspense in the final exam during the ordinary period.   

Continuous assessment is not recoverable.

The total or partial copy in any of the learning activities will mean a "Not Presented" in the subject, without option to present in the proof of recovery and without prejudice of the opening of a file for this reason

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Argimón JM, Jimenez J. (2019). Clinical Research Methods and Epidemiology (5th ed.) (ON PAPER). Elsevier. 

Salamanca Castro, AB (2013). He aeiou of nursing research. Madrid, Editorial FUDEN

Fletcher RH, Fletcher SW, Fletcher GS (2016). Clinical epidemiology (5th edition). Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona). Editorial Lippincot Williams and Wilkins. Wolkers Kluwer Health

Turull A, Ardanuy Baró J, Arroyo and Amayuelas E. (2017). Work and communication techniques: tools for the legal and social sciences. Barcelona: Huygens Publishing.

Amat Salas O, Rodrigo de Larrucea J, Rocafort Nicolau A. (2017). How to do research? thesis, master's thesis, doctoral thesis and other research projects (First ed.). Barcelona: Profit Editorial.

Pagano M, Gauvreau K. (2001). Fundamentals of Biostatistics (2nd ed.) (ON PAPER). Ediciones Paraninfo. 

Pardo A (2004). Data analysis in social and health sciences I and II (2nd edition). Editorial Synthesis.

Pierola G (2016). Preventive medicine and public health (12th edition). Publishers: Fernández-Crehuet Navajas, Gestal Otero, Delgado Rodríguez, Bolúmar Montrull, Herruzo Cabrera & Serra Majem. Publisher Elsevier Masson.

Martínez González MA, Sánchez-Villegas A, Toledo Atucha EA, Faulin Fajardo J (2014). Friendly Statistics (3rd edition). Barcelona, ​​Editorial Elsevier

de la Cueva Martín, A, Aleixandre Benavent R, Rodríguez and Gairín JM. University of Valencia. (2001). Sources of information in health sciences. Valencia: University of Valencia.

Estrada JM. (2007). Chapter 2: The bibliographic search and its application in PubMed-MEDLINE. SEMERGEN - Family Medicine, 33(4), 193–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1138-3593(07)73875-3

González de Dios J. (2006). Efficient search for the best scientific evidence available in the literature: primary and secondary sources of information. Evidence in Pediatrics, 2, 1–10.

Lluch G, Nicolás M. (2015). Academic writing: planning, documentation, writing, citation and models. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.