Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Practice
| Module title | Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Practice |
|---|---|
| Module code | PYCM098DA |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 40 |
| Module staff | Mr James Fargie (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
The development and delivery of effective psychological treatments requires the practical application of clinical research and evaluation using a range of methodological and statistical approaches. In this module you will gain advanced knowledge, understanding and skills in employing the range of research methodologies required to establish a sound evidence for practice. This includes awareness of psychometric theory and established criteria/standards of evaluating outcomes (e.g., reliable change index, standard deviations, recovery) and ability to utilise these concepts to evaluate clinical practice within the target population. The majority of the module is delivered across three terms by an online computer assisted learning package, supplemented by practical exercises to extend statistical knowledge and seminars to discuss relevant topics.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aim of this module is to provide you with advanced knowledge, understanding and skills related to methodologies and statistics used in clinical research aimed at developing and evaluating effective treatments and psychological interventions. This module equips you to become a critical consumer of applied psychological research and contribute to your development as a scientist practitioner.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Implement evaluations of practice through the monitoring of processes and outcomes, across multiple dimensions of functioning, in relation to recovery, values and goals and as informed by service user experiences as well as outcome indicators (such as behaviour change and change on standardised psychometric instruments).
- 2. Demonstrate awareness of psychometric theory and established criteria/standards of evaluating outcomes (e.g., reliable change index, standard deviations, recovery) and the ability to utilise these concepts to evaluate clinical practice within the target population.
- 3. Design and conduct applied psychological research within clinical services (e.g., service-evaluation, audit, small N design) either individually under supervision or as part of a research team
- 4. Use a range of standard and specialised research instruments/techniques either individually under supervision or as part of a research team.
- 5. Disseminate research in appropriate formats (e.g., presentation, service report, research publication).
- 6. Follow ethical and governance procedures in research.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Engage service users from the target population and gain their perspectives on practice in both individual (e.g., intervention outcomes) and organisational (e.g., audits, service evaluations, acceptability of intervention, perceptions of recovery) performance.
- 8. Undertake a literature review of research and theory relevant to knowledge and skill sets for common presentations or problem areas.
- 9. Critically appraise published research.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 10. Reflect on experiences and evaluate applied practice as well as learn from these experiences as part of ongoing development as a practitioner.
- 11. Evidence skills in creating and managing databases.
Syllabus plan
- Paradigms and principles of clinical research
- Critical appraisal and APA style reports
- Narrative literature reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- Research topics, questions, hypotheses and designs
- Psychological measurement/Psychometrics: Basic concepts and test construction
- Descriptive statistics. Statistics for psychological measurement
- Characteristics of psychological measures. Best practice in measurement
- Selecting research participants. Service users engagement in clinical research
- Research workshops – PBL consultations
- Ethical considerations in clinical research
- Research strategy and validity
- Qualitative research methods
- Small N designs. Single case and case series methods
- Clinical versus statistical significance
- Statistical tests
- Research workshops – individual proposal consultations
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | 100 | 109 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 67 | Class-based activities (didactic and skills-based teaching) |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 24 | Group problem-based learning task |
| Guided independent study | 100 | Research and reading surrounding formative and summative assignments |
| Placement | 109 | On-the job application of research skills |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical appraisal of a research paper | 1000 words | 5, 9-10 | Peer written |
| Group problem-based learning presentation | 40 minutes | 1-11 | Peer |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical research or evaluation report based on the PBL task (this assessment must be passed; failure in this assessment will lead to failure in the module and the programme) | 50 | 3000 words | 1-11 | Written |
| Clinical research or evaluation proposal for an independent project (this assessment must be passed; failure in this assessment will lead to failure in the module and the programme) | 50 | 3000 words | 1-10 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical research or evaluation report (PBL) | Clinical research or evaluation report (PBL) | 1-11 | Four weeks after feedback |
| Clinical research or evaluation proposal (independent) | Clinical research or evaluation proposal (independent) | 1-10 | Four weeks after feedback |
Re-assessment notes
Two assessments are required for this module. In all cases re-assessment will be the same as the original assessment. Where you have been referred/deferred for any form of assessment detailed above you will have the opportunity to retake within four weeks from the date that feedback was provided.
If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of deferral, your re-assessment will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment and the overall module mark will not be capped.
If you pass re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), the overall module mark will be capped at 50%.
If you fail re-assessments taken as a result of referral (i.e. following initial failure in the assessment), you will be failed in the module and as a consequence you will be failed in the programme and your registration as a student of the University will be terminated.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Bowling, A. (2009). Research methods in health: Investigating health and health services. Open University Press.
- Gravetter, F. J., & Forzano, L. A. B. (2018). Research methods for the behavioral sciences. Cengage Learning.
- Gravetter, F. J., Wallnau, L. B., Forzano, L. A. B., & Witnauer, J. E. (2020). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences. Cengage Learning.
- Greenhalgh, T. (2019). How to read a paper: The basics of evidence-based medicine. John Wiley & Sons.
- Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P. (2017). Psychological testing: Principles, applications, and issues. Nelson Education.
- Morley, S. (2017). Single case methods in clinical psychology: A practical guide. Routledge.
- Walker, D. M. (2014). An introduction to health services research: A practical guide. Sage.
- Tabachnick, B. G., Fidell, L. S., & Ullman, J. B. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 40 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 08/08/2018 |
| Last revision date | 14/03/2023 |
