Course content

The course gives an introduction to applied clinical research with a main learning objective to design a research protocol. Lectures include central elements and terms related to clinical research that the student encounters in planning and carrying out clinical studies. Formal requirements in designing a research protocol is reviewed. Literature studies and critical reading in the process of developing the "good" research question are emphasized. The course covers common clinical research designs, principles of randomized trials, outcome measures assessment, selection strategies and randomization, ethics, and interpretation and reporting of clinical research. The course also promotes understanding of clinical outcome measures and measurement methods, including validity, reliability and quality properties. Examples from the clinic and clinical research will be used in the lectures, including discussions of various clinical problems.

Learning outcome

After completing the course, the student:
- Should know the requirements and have the ability to write a research protocol necessary for research grants and ethical
approval of a clinical study
- Should have knowledge of different study designs relevant for clinical research, including interventional research
- Should know how to search and find relevant scientific literature and to use common search procedures and search engines
- Should be able to critically assess and present a scientific article written in the English language with relevance to clinical
practice and research
- Should understand concepts of validity and reliability and know the criteria for assessing properties of measurement
methods, including appropriateness, strength, weaknesses and limitations
- Should explain ethical requirements and approvals necessary for conducting clinical trials

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, group work, and a project assignment. Lectures are given during five weeks of the semester. Group work may be organized outside the five weeks assigned for lectures. The project assignment has to have a research protocol design. The assignment will have a deadline in the end of the autumn semester.

Compulsory assignments

• Group work

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Required previous knowledge

Enrollment in the Master of Clinical Health Science Program.

Course materials

Lecture note hand-outs and supplementary literature provided by the instructor. Recommended literatur: Portney and Watkins; Foundations of clinical research, 3rd ed.(2014), Pearson Education. Ch. 4-16, 26-27, 30-31 (total approx 400 pages).

Credit reductions