Statistics in Medicine, 7.5 Credits

Contents

The course is designed to provide students with a versatile understanding of statistical methods and their applications in the field of medicine. The course content, in more detail, is provided below.

Introduction to Medical Statistics

• Overview of statistics in medicine and its importance
• Ethical considerations in medical research

Design, Analysis, and Reporting of Randomized Clinical Trials

• Guidelines, key concepts, and trial objectives
• Study design
• Randomization techniques
• Hypotheses and significance
• Sample size determination and power
• Analysis of clinical trials

Design, Analysis, and Reporting of Observational Studies

• Guidelines, key concepts, and terminology
• Study design
• Controlling for confounders and assessing interactions

Advanced Regression Analysis in Medicine

• Modeling binary outcomes
• Modeling time-to-event outcomes in the presence of censoring

Expected learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding
Students must be able to

1. Describe key concepts and terminology related to randomized clinical trials and observational studies
2. Identify common challenges and pitfalls in the design and statistical analysis of medical studies, and strategies to address them effectively

Skills and ability
Students must be able to

3. Interpret and report statistical results in a medical context
4. Design a medical study
5. Analyze medical studies using techniques and software introduced in the course
6. Reflect on the strengths and limitations of different approaches for statistical analysis and study design in medicine

Judgement and approach
Students must be able to

7. Critically evaluate research in medicine from methodological and ethical perspectives

Required Knowledge

7.5 ECTS in Statistics or equivalent. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B/6.

Form of instruction

Learning is supported by lectures, lessons, seminars, computer lab sessions, and tutoring.

The course is given in a hybrid format, i.e., parts of the course are coordinated between a campus course and an online course.

Examination modes

The examination consists of two parts: an article review seminar, a written home exam with a following oral exam. The grades used for the article review seminar are G (Pass), and U (Fail), and for the home exam and oral exam VG (Pass with distinction), G (Pass), and U (Fail). The grade awarded on the course is a comprehensive evaluation of the results of the various parts of the examinations and is not granted until all mandatory tasks have been passed.

A student who has passed an examination is not allowed to take another examination in order to get a higher grade. For students who do not pass, an additional examination will be held according to a pre-determined schedule.

A student that has failed an examination on two occasions has a right to have another examiner or grading teacher appointed, unless there are special reasons against it. A written request addressed to the Director of Studies should be made no later than two weeks before the next examination opportunity.

Examinations based on the same course syllabus as the ordinary examinations are guaranteed to be offered up to two years after the date of the student's first registration for the course.

Adaptations
Examiners may decide to deviate from the modes of assessment in the course syllabus. Individual adaptation of modes of assessment must give due consideration to the student's needs. The adaptation of modes of assessment must remain within the framework of the intended learning outcomes in the course syllabus. Students who require an adapted examination - and have received a decision on the right to support from the coordinator at the Student Services Office for students with disabilities - must submit a request to the department holding the course no later than 10 days before the examination

Academic credit transfer
Academic credit transfers are according to the University credit transfer regulations.