Dissecting Clinical Research Publications Series (DiCReP)

The series will examine different study designs and provide insight into how study design is an important factor in development of the clinical protocol and eventual deliverables of the project. The series will critically appraise a cross sectional design, a case control design, and a cohort design. Each lecture will be split into two halves - with explanation of the critical analysis process in the first half followed by an active learning exercise. Attendees are encouraged to participate in these activities.

Intended Audience

All junior faculty, residents and fellows, advanced practice providers, nurse scientists, medical and graduate students or anyone involved in clinical research that is interested in learning more about this field is welcome. This course will provide a practical overview of how to critically appraise a research paper while focusing on the different study designs.

Overview of Topics

For each of the topics listed below, instructor will:  

• Introduce a general framework on how to identify threats to the validity of a study
• Provide an overview of each study type
• Introduce a tool to evaluate each study type
• Use the tool to perform a critical appraisal of a published study/trial

For the systematic review and Meta-analysis instructor will:

• Discuss the difference between a narrative review and a systematic review
• Discuss the steps for conducting a systematic review/meta-analysis

Course Schedule

7/17 – 1-2 p.m. | Introduction to clinical research

7/18 – 1-2 p.m. | Overview of critical appraisal of clinical research

7/22 – 1-2 p.m. | Critical appraisal of a cross sectional study

7/23 – 1-2 p.m. | Critical appraisal of a case control study

7/24 – 1-2 p.m. | Critical appraisal of a cohort study

7/25 – 1-2 p.m. | Critical appraisal of randomized controlled trial

7/29 – 1-2 p.m. | Systematic Reviews/Meta-analysis

Notes

Sessions will be held virtual and in-person. Due to room size limit, we will give preference for in-person attendance to the first 25 registrants who select that option; others will be provided