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Course: Design and Analysis of Randomised Trials
Venue: Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol
Duration: five days
Dates: July 5th-9th 2004
Cost: £750 (cheques payable to University of Bristol please)
Tutors include: Sara Brookes (course organiser), Alan Montgomery (course 
organiser), Lucy Brindle, Rona Campbell, Paul Dieppe, Shah Ebrahim, Sandra 
Hollinghurst, Athene Lane, Laurence Moore, Tim Peters, Knut Schroeder, Kate 
Tilling -----------------------------------------

The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of key issues in the 
design, analysis and reporting of clinical trials. The course focuses on 
randomised controlled trials and other experimental designs used in the 
evaluation of healthcare technologies. Observational epidemiological study 
designs, including cross-sectional, cohort and case-control studies, are 
not covered in this course.

Students will be expected to have a knowledge of statistical methods up to 
the level of the Basic Statistics course, and an understanding of research 
design up to the level of the Basic Epidemiological Methods Course (see 
www.epi.bris.ac.uk/shortc/shortc.htm for further information about these 
and other short courses). Basic knowledge of Stata is preferable.

Topics to be covered include: the need for clinical trials; planning 
issues; pragmatic and explanatory trials; hypothesis testing; clinical and 
statistical significance; sample size; randomisation & cluster 
randomisation; intention to treat analysis; alternative designs; multiple 
outcomes; repeated measures; adjustment for covariates; subgroup analysis; 
CONSORT guidelines on trial reporting; qualitative methods in clinical 
trials; health economics in the context of clinical trials; ethical issues 
in trials.

Teaching will make up a total of thirty hours, consisting of introductory 
lectures reinforced by example-led practicals. The practicals will mainly 
consist of Stata-based analyses of exemplar datasets.

All the short courses at the Department of Social Medicine are being CME 
and PGEA approved. Further information about this and other courses at the 
Department of Social Medicine can be found at 
www.epi.bris.ac.uk/shortc/shortc/htm. or from [log in to unmask]

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JP Dunton, Social Medicine
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For details of all the short courses, visit
www.epi.bris.ac.uk/shortc/shortc.htm

Please note that if you cancel less than two weeks before the start of a
course, YOU WILL BE CHARGED THE FULL FEE. Those entitled to a free place
will be charged a penalty fee of £30