Ateneo - UPO

The course is integrated with the Statistics and Epidemiology teachings. The course will be organized around the reading of scientific papers related to original researches. In each lesson an article will be read and the following issues will be discussed: - methodological aspects - results - impact on practice The lesson will be organized according to the following items: - introduction adn rational - results - guided discussion - summary lesson A non-exhaustive list of topics is as follows: - identification of the knowledge on which the work is based; - enucleation of hypotheses and research objectives; - recognition of the research design - cross-sectional - cohort - case-control - experimental - frequency measures - association measures - statistical variability - bias, confounding Furthermore. - editorial process of scientific journals - peer review - the quality of scientific articles - the databases of extracts (Medline, Cinhal, etc.)

There are no reference texts: the articles that will be read, and the slides
displayed, will be available on the DIR platform

The objectives of the module are:
- use scientific literature in order to obtain information useful to
understand the complexity of patients' health problems and the
organizational problems of the service in which they work;
- participate in scientific research, actively intervening both in the
preparation of the study protocol and in the interpretation of the results

Bases of medical statistics

Reading of scientific papers, individually or in groups, and discussion and
interpretation of results

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request
specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse

e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-
students-physical-or-learning-disabilities

Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted
the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination
modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The exam will consist of a written test and an oral examination. The written test will consist of 32 questions, mostly multiple-choice, for a total of 24 points. The written test aims to assess the student's knowledge in the research process, the structure of a scientific article, the publication process, evidence-based practice, major study designs, the functioning of the internet and online research. Additionally, it will evaluate the student's ability to read and understand the results of a scientific article (the article text will be provided before the test to allow sufficient time for reading). The student will be able to take the oral examination only if they have achieved an overall score of at least 60% of the total expected points. The duration of the written test will be 40 minutes. The oral examination will assess the student's ability to apply the acquired knowledge through critical reading of a scientific article of specific nursing interest (quantitative/qualitative literature, primary/secondary sources). The oral examination will be considered successful if the candidate demonstrates sufficient knowledge of theoretical concepts as well as adequate critical understanding of a scientific article (e.g., correct identification of the research question based on abstract reading, proper interpretation of result tables, forest plot, conducting a qualitative study, etc.). Failure to pass the oral examination will require the repetition of the entire exam (written and oral). To achieve a score of 30/30 with honors, the student must demonstrate an excellent understanding of all the topics covered during the course.

Critical reading of a scientific article and in particular:
- identification of the knowledge on which the work is based;
- enucleation of hypotheses and research objectives;
- recognition of the research design
- transversal
- cohort
- case-control
- experimental
- frequency measures
- association measures
- statistical variability
- bias, confounding
The course will be especially focoused on observational studies

At the end of the course students will be able to:
- use scientific literature in order to obtain information useful for
understanding the complexity of patients' health problems and the
organizational problems of the service in which they operate;
- participate in scientific research, actively intervening both in the
preparation of the study protocol and in the interpretation of the results