Choosing an appropriate study design is a critical decision that can largely determine whether your study will successfully answer your research question. A quick look at the contents page of a biomedical journal or even at the health news section of a news website is enough to tell you that there are many different ways to conduct epidemiological research.
In this course, you will learn about the main epidemiological study designs, including cross-sectional and ecological studies, case-control and cohort studies, as well as the more complex nested case-control and case-cohort designs. The final module is dedicated to randomised controlled trials, which is often considered the optimal study design, especially in clinical research. You will also develop the skills to identify strengths and limitations of the various study designs. By the end of this course, you will be able to choose the most suitable study design considering the research question, the available time, and resources.
Este curso forma parte de Programa Especializado - Epidemiology for Public Health
Study Designs in Epidemiology
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Acerca de este Curso
Qué aprenderás
Compare and contrast different epidemiological study designs in order to describe their strengths and weaknesses.
Habilidades que obtendrás
Randomized Controlled TrialCase-Control StudyStudy designsCohort
Programa - Qué aprenderás en este curso
Semana
13 horas para completar
Introduction to Study Designs: Ecological and Cross-Sectional Studies
The range of different study designs can be quite confusing. However, to help you navigate the maze of study designs, we can split them into groups which share common characteristics. In this module, you will be introduced to these common characteristics, and you will learn the main principles of ecological and cross-sectional studies, as well as when it is appropriate to use them. By the end of the module, you will be able to identify and critically consider the advantages and disadvantages of these study designs.
4 videos (Total 15 minutos), 7 readings, 1 quiz
4 videos
Epidemiological Studies4m
Ecological Studies4m
Cross-sectional Studies3m
7 lecturas
About Imperial College & the team5m
How to be successful in this course5m
Grading policy5m
Glossary & Additional readings 20m
Case-reports and Case-series5m
Primary and Secondary Data10m
Quiz Instructions2m
1 ejercicio de práctica
Ecological and Cross-sectional Studies30m
Semana
21 hora para completar
Case Control Studies
This module focuses on case-control studies, which is one of the best known epidemiological study designs. Case-control studies are particularly useful when you don’t have the luxury of waiting for a long follow-up period to conclude. In this module, you will learn the key elements of case-control study design, and you will learn how to estimate the appropriate measure of association when presented with data from a case-control study.
3 videos (Total 14 minutos), 3 readings, 1 quiz
3 videos
Measures of Association in Case-control Studies6m
Calculating Odds Ratios4m
3 lecturas
Selecting Controls in Case-control Studies10m
Recap: Case-control Studies10m
Quiz Instructions2m
1 ejercicio de práctica
Case-control Studies30m
Semana
32 horas para completar
Cohort Studies and Nested Studies
Cohorts were ancient Roman military units, but in modern epidemiology the word “cohort” is used to describe a group with a shared characteristic. In cohort studies, we follow groups of people over time, we collect data on their exposure and outcome, and try to estimate whether there is an association between the group-defining characteristic and the outcome of interest. In this module, you will learn how to design such a study, the kind of problems which may arise and how it compares with case-control studies. You will also learn about nested case-control and case-cohort studies, which allow us to harness the advantages of cohort studies in more efficient ways. By the end of the module, you will be able to choose the best study design in a variety of contexts.
5 videos (Total 20 minutos), 5 readings, 2 quizzes
5 videos
Measures of Association in Cohort Studies4m
Calculating Relative Risks3m
Nested Case-control Study4m
Case-cohort Study Design3m
5 lecturas
Recap: Cohort Studies10m
Strengths and Weaknesses of Cohort and Case-control Studies15m
Quiz Instructions2m
Strengths and Weaknesses of Nested Case-control and Case-cohort Studies10m
Quiz Instructions2m
2 ejercicios de práctica
Cohort Studies20m
Nested Case-control and Case-cohort Studies20m
Semana
42 horas para completar
Randomised Controlled Trials
Randomised controlled trials are often seen as the gold standard of epidemiological research, especially in clinical settings, and in this module you will learn why. You will learn the main design features of randomised clinical trials, why they are so important, and the difficulties and limitations in applying these principles in real life. By the end of this module, you will know how to design a randomised clinical trial and how to decide which is the best analytical approach for the data you have obtained.
4 videos (Total 21 minutos), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
4 videos
The Randomisation Process6m
Blinding in Randomised Controlled Trials5m
Course Summary1m
4 lecturas
Strengths and Weaknesses of Randomised Controlled Trials10m
Quiz Instructions2m
Overview of Study Designs10m
Quiz Instructions2m
2 ejercicios de práctica
Randomised Controlled Trials20m
Comparing Study Designs20m
Instructor
Filippos Filippidis
Lecturer in Public HealthSchool of Public Health
Acerca de Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a world top ten university with an international reputation for excellence in science, engineering, medicine and business. located in the heart of London. Imperial is a multidisciplinary space for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle global challenges.
Imperial students benefit from a world-leading, inclusive educational experience, rooted in the College’s world-leading research. Our online courses are designed to promote interactivity, learning and the development of core skills, through the use of cutting-edge digital technology.
Acerca del programa especializado Epidemiology for Public Health
Thousands of new epidemiological studies are conducted every year and their results can have a profound impact on how we live our lives. Decisions regarding the food you eat, how much you exercise, where you live and what treatment you will follow if you get sick are made based on data from such studies. This specialization aims to equip you with the skills that will allow you to correctly interpret epidemiological research, consider its limitations, and design your own studies.
The first course of the specialisation, Measuring Disease in Epidemiology, looks into the main measures used in epidemiology and how these can inform decisions around public health policy, screening and prevention.
The second course, Study Designs in Epidemiology, provides an overview of the most common study designs, their strengths and limitations.
The third course, Validity and Bias in Epidemiology, builds on the fundamental concepts taught in the previous courses to discuss bias and confounding and how they might affect study results. It also provides the essential skills to prevent and control bias and confounding and critically think about causality.
At the end of this specialization you will have gained the essential skills to design and critique epidemiological research and you will be able to pursue more advanced courses in epidemiology. Although this specialization is part of the GMPH programme, it can be taken independently of the GMPH.
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