Introductory Medical Statistics Course

Date of next course: November 21st-22nd 2024

This is an online course that will be held via Microsoft Teams

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November's course is now fully booked and registration is closed

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About

The Introductory Medical Statistics Course introduces you to basic statistical concepts.

The course is run by statisticians and epidemiologists based at the National Heart and

Lung Institute (NHLI), part of Imperial College. 

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The programme for the course can be accessed here

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To discuss the course please contact James Potts: j.potts@imperial.ac.uk

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What is covered

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• Basic epidemiological concepts

  • hierarchy of evidence and differences in study designs; confounding in observational studies vs. RCTs

• Descriptive statistics for quantitative, ordinal and qualitative data

  • mean, median and mode; standard deviation, percentiles and frequency distribution

• Inferential statistics

  • estimating parameters in the population; confidence intervals

• Testing a hypothesis

  • p-values; choosing a test; types of errors – false positive and false negative results; multiple testing

• Correlation vs. simple linear regression to test relationships between quantitative variables

  • differences in aims and links between the two approaches; simple linear regression vs. ANOVA

• Multiple linear regression to adjust for confounding

  • interpretation of findings; examples of the impact of confounding on estimates of interest

• Different measures of risk (binary outcomes)

  • relative measures of risk (odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio); absolute measures of risk (risk difference, NNT/NNH)

• Simple and multiple logistic regression (binary outcomes)

  • interpretation of findings; examples of the impact of confounding on the estimates of interest

• Power and sample size calculations

  • why we need them and what parameters we need to perform them ; examples of sample size and power calculations for continuous and binary outcomes

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The course will conclude with a practical session: revision and discussion of concepts presented in the course using real examples. Feedback with answers to questions through online voting.

 

Suitable for: Doctors (including trainee grades), nurses, allied health professionals, clinical research fellows and postgraduate students

 

Accredited by the Royal College of Physicians: 6 CPD points