SYNTHETIZE

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Evidence Synthesis and Decision Analysis in Health and Medicine
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[ms_accordion_item title=”Coordination” color=”” background_color=”” close_icon=”” open_icon=”” status=”open”]Luís Filipe Azevedo [/ms_accordion_item]
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[ms_accordion style=”simple” type=”1″ class=”” id=””] [ms_accordion_item title=”Intended learning outcomes of the curricular unit” color=”#7b89b6″ background_color=”” close_icon=”” open_icon=”” status=”open”]
Describe the concept and framework of decision in health care and biomedical research, according to the research topic;
Describe the basic structure of decision in health care;
Perform a step-by-step approach to decision in health care;
Identify options and alternatives;
Integrate evidence in decision analysis process.
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[ms_accordion style=”simple” type=”1″ class=”” id=””] [ms_accordion_item title=”Syllabus” color=”” background_color=”” close_icon=”” open_icon=”” status=”open”]
Evidence Synthesis – Introduction and definitions;
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis – A step-by-step guide:
– Formulating the research question;
– Systematic literature searching and bibliographic databases;
– Studies selection;
– Data extraction and processing;
– Methodological quality and risk of bias assessment;
– Statistical analysis in evidence synthesis studies – Meta-analysis;
– Heterogeneity – Detection and analysis;
Bias in evidence synthesis studies;
Preparing the protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis;
Preparing the paper to publish a systematic review and meta-analysis;

Decision Analysis in Health and Medicine – Introduction and definitions;
Representation of the decision process;
Constructing and interpreting a decision tree;
Outcome valuation, preferences, utilities and QALYs;
Representing and analysing uncertainty;
Determministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis;
Monte Carlo methods and simulations
Introduction to Markov models;

Economic Evaluation in Health and Medicine – Introduction and definitions;
Costs – Definitions and quantification;
Effectiveness – Valuing outcomes and consequences
Statistical analysis;
Adjustments, preferences and discounting;
Representing and analysing uncertainty.
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The syllabus of this course was designed to match the defined learning objectives and outcomes. Specifically, it allows students to acquire knowledge and practical skills to understand and apply the concepts and frameworks of evidence synthesis, decision making and economic evaluation in health and medicine.
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[ms_accordion_item title=”Teaching methodologies” color=”” background_color=”” close_icon=”” open_icon=”” status=”open”]
Theoretical presentation of each topic described in the syllabus;
Literature review;
Individual and group practical assignments;
Group discussion.

An optimized e-learning platform will be used to support learning-teaching activities.

Assessment methods:
Distributed evaluation with final exam: practical assignments (30%); final exam (70%).
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[ms_accordion_item title=”Demonstration of the coherence between the teaching methodologies and learning outcomes” color=”” background_color=”” close_icon=”” open_icon=”” status=”open”]
The theoretical presentation and discussion of topics from the syllabus, the literature review and the individual and group resolution of practical exercises will allow students to naturally and logically understand and progress form the concepts to the methods and their practical implementation, in line with the learning objectives of the course.
Group discussions aim to develop the critical thinking about the concepts and methods discussed.
The demonstration and individual/group resolution of practical exercises enables students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired to concrete settings and problem-solving.
The e-learning platform will improve communication among students and between them and the instructors, and the provision of learning materials.
The final exam will evaluate the acquisition of theoretical concepts. The practical exercises will allow the evaluation of skills and their application in concrete settings and problem-solving.
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[ms_accordion_item title=”Main bibliography” color=”” background_color=”” close_icon=”” open_icon=”” status=”open”]
Higgins JPT, Green S (editors). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.1.0 [updated September 2011]. The Cochrane Collaboration, 2011. Available from www.cochrane-handbook.org.
Athanasiou T, Darzi A (Editors). Evidence Synthesis in Healthcare: A Practical Handbook for Clinicians. London: Springer-Verlag, 2011.
Welton, NJ, Sutton, AJ, Cooper, N, Abrams, KR, & Ades, AE ; ). Evidence Synthesis for Decision Making in Healthcare, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012
Borenstein, M, Hedges, LV, Higgins, JPT, & Rothstein, HR ; Introduction to Meta-Analysis, Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 2009
Hunink MGM, Glasziou, P, Siegel, J, Weeks, J, Pliskin. J, Elstein, A & Weinstein, M. Decision making in health and medicine : integrating evidence and values.(2nd ed)., Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Fletcher, RH, Fletcher, SW, & Fletcher, GS. Clinical Epidemiology: The Essentials (5th Edition). Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2014.
Haynes, RB, Sackett, DL, Guyatt, GH, & Tugwell, P. Clinical epidemiology: how to do clinical practice research (3rd edition). Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006
Sox, HC, Higgins, MC, & Owens, DK. Medical Decision Making (2nd Ed). , Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013
Drummond, M.F., Sculpher, M.J., Claxton, K., Stoddart, G.L., & Torrance, G.W. ; Methods for the economic evaluation of health care programmes (4rd ed)., Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2015
Brazier, J, Ratcliffe, J, Tsuchiya, A, Salomon, J. Measuring and Valuing Health Benefits for Economic Evaluation, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007
Briggs, A; Decision Modelling for Health Economic Evaluation, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006
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