Dra. May Rivas: mayrivas5@gmail.com (labs.)
Dra. Andrea Miranda Mendizabal: aemiranda@uic.es(project)
Dr. Albert Balaguer: abalaguer@uic.es (direction)
Introduction
In the event that the health authorities announce a new period of confinement due to the evolution of
the health crisis caused by COVID-19, the teaching staff will promptly communicate how this may effect
the teaching methodologies and activities as well as the assessment.
The fundamental purpose of this subject is based on the confirmation of the great part of medical professionals, they have difficulty in selecting and reading biomedical information critically. And that happens precisely when access to information has become easier.
The explosion of information provided by the Internet is an opportunity (and also a challenge) to transform data into knowledge that can be used in clinical practice.
The purpose of this subject is to promote the skills of locating, selecting and understanding the best medical information.
This course makes it easier for us to be more variable when it comes to ask questions, formulate structurally, identify the best answers and evaluate according to their degree of credibility.
IMM2 promotes autonomous thinking and a healthy critical attitude towards medical information. The skills acquired in the subject will multiply our ability to read and understand medical research, to apply throughout the career and in future professional practice.
Almost three quarters of IMM2 is approached with very practical active methodology:
Skills Laboratories (LH)
Case Methods (MC) and
Team project: it is the axis on which all the learning revolves. The operational teams guided by a tutor that encourages the integration and practice of what is being worked on in the LH and MC.
Objectives
Bases of medical knowledge/ “Evidence based medicine”
1. Knowing how scientific and medical knowledge is generated.
2. Becoming familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of clinical research.
3. Identifying the main types of clinical research study designs with their applications, advantages and limitations.
4. Knowing the main models of critical research synthesis.
Formulating questions and searching for information
1. Learning to formulate structured clinical questions.
2. Knowing and learning to use the main database of research studies.
3. Knowing the main characteristics of the different sources of information.
4. Learning to use secondary sources of information that synthesize and critically evaluate the available information.
Critical evaluation of scientific information
1. Knowing the main approaches for the evaluation of the quality and risk of bias of the main study designs, integrating them into the process of answering the clinical question.
2. Learning to evaluate the quality of the available scientific information
Competencies
06 - Develop professional practice with other health professionals, acquiring teamwork skills.
31 - Understand, critically evaluate and know how to use sources of clinical and biomedical information to obtain, organize, interpret and communicate scientific and health care information.
32 - Know how to use information and communication technology in clinical, therapeutic, preventive health care and research.
34 - Ability for critical thinking, creativity and constructive skeptisim with a focus on research within professional practice.
35 - Understand the importance and limitations of scientific thinking in the study, prevention and treatment of disease.
CB-5 - To transmit in a clear and unambiguous way to a specialised or non-specialised audience, the results of scientific and technological research projects and innovation from the field of the most advanced innovation, as well as the most important concepts which they are based on.
Learning outcomes
It is intended for the students to be able to acquire and apply the basic tools that facilitate them to locate and understand the methodology used in the studies published in different biomedical journals, as well as interpret the validity, scope and limitations of their results.
At the end of this subject and after a given clinical situation, the students must be able to:
1. Prepare a health decision question in a structured way.
2. Select the most useful resources to locate relevant information.
3. Develop efficient search strategies.
4. Identify the design of identified studies and types of publications.
Teaching and learning activities
Evaluation systems and criteria
Bibliography and resources
Dan Mayer, Essential Evidence-Based Medicine. 1. ESSENTIAL. EVIDENCE-BASED. MEDICINE . Dan. Mayer, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Users' Guides to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence-Based Clinical Practice, Second Edition (Jama & Archives Journals)