2024-2025 / APPR0333-1

Researching convincing information in the medical field (evidence-based medicine)

Duration

15h Th, 15h Pr

Number of credits

 Bachelor in medicine1 crédit 

Lecturer

Gilles Henrard, Sandrina Vandenput

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The main challenge faced by all health professionals is to manage the overabundance of information, in order to keep their knowledge up to date and evolve in their everyday practice. But where can relevant information be found? What should they read? To a lesser extent, students are faced with the same challenge, as they are required to solve problems and write assignments that meet the standards of scientific publication. 

The course's goal is to present the foundations of evidence-based medicine. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) structures medical analysis through three perspectives: the practician's clinical experience, the best data obtained from research, and the patients' expectations. The course focuses on the methods used to research, identify and evaluate the most reliable clinical studies (based on evidence), which may guide the diagnosis, the prognosis, or the choice of a treatment in a given context.

It is divided into several parts:





  • the analysis of a situation and the formulation of a structured question that will serve as a starting point for a systematic exploration of the medical literature;
  • the presentation of the principles of scientific communication, along with an inventory of the various sources of medical information and a comparison of features offered by major specialised search engines;
  • the acquisition of critical reading habits.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

After receiving training on the methods of evidence-based medicine, students should be able to work more autonomously, apply critical thinking skills, master the use of various information resources, and understand and follow the rules of scientific communication.  In concrete terms, they should be able to:



  • converting a need for information into an answerable question;
  • choose the types of documents and resources that will have to be consulted;
  • communicate efficiently with specialised search engines and databases;
  • adapt their research strategies to the goals pursued;
  • select documents based on a critical appraisal in accord to their relevance and level of evidence.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

Thorough knowledge of the scientific English features.

The course will establish links with concepts covered in EPID0110-3.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

This course will consist in in-person classes and practical work or in preparations. 

The in-person classes will include theoretical presentations, demonstrations and explanations on the use of the available tools.
Students will be invited to complete information retrieval and critical reading exercises between the in-person sessions. Face-to-face sessions provide all the explanations and demonstrations that are used to complete individual assignments, which are then reviewed and corrected with the entire class.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Face-to-face course


Additional information:

In-person classes are starting in the second quarter. It is organized so as to encourage students' active participation.

Everything will be done to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to follow the sessions in the best possible conditions (in live or recorded) despite the circumstances (COVID-19 sanitary
situation).

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Course notes (powerpoint slideshows used during the theoretical course) and other documents are available on eCampus. 
The reference books mentioned in the course notes are available in ULiège Library | Health - CHU.

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )

Written work / report


Further information:

The assessment of knowledge and skills will cover all the material covered in the different courses (available on eCampus).

Questions will be based on knowledge and skills (theory and exercises): multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and short-answer questions.

Exam instructions and procedures will be available on eCampus a few days before the exam. Their availability will be notified by e-mail.

E-learning modules will be offered to reinforce the acquisition of certain concepts covered in the course. Assessments are scheduled at the end of each module. The successful completion of two of these modules will be valued and will form an integral part of the final exam mark, 5 points out of 200 each.

There is no automatic entitlement to exemption.

Work placement(s)

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

More practical information will be communicated during the first session of the face-to-face course.

Contacts

Henrard Gilles (ULiège - Département de Médecine générale): gilles.henrard@uliege.be
Vandenput Sandrina (ULiège Library | Santé) : s.vandenput@uliege.be
Please, use only your ULiege address (XXX@student.uliege.be) for any exchange of mails and specify, in the subject line of your email, the title of the course (APPR0333).

Association of one or more MOOCs