Learning outcomes

At the end of the medical epidemiology module, the student will be able to: 1. Master the key concepts of medical epidemiology 2. Calculate the most common epidemiological indicators 3. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different types of epidemiological studies 4. Critically read scientific articles using standardised analysis grids 5. Determine the performance of a diagnostic or prognostic test, and its usefulness for clinical decision making.

Goals

Based on a pragmatic approach, this course aims to enable the student to integrate the key concepts and tools of medical epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and evidence-based medicine. The aim is to make the student capable of a critical analysis of the scientific bases underlying his/her future practice as a student and health professional.

Content

Partim medical epidemiology 1. Introduction : a. Causality and luck ; b. Statistical Inference and Hypothesis Testing ; 2. Formulation of a clinical epidemiology or pharmacoepidemiology question 3. Measures of frequency, association, impact, prediction : a. Frequency: prevalence; incidence; rates (natality, mortality, lethality); attack rate; basic reproduction rate b. Association: risk ratio, absolute risk difference; odds ratio; standardized mortality ratio ; c. Impact: attributable risk; number needed to treat; number needed to harm; d. Prediction: positive/negative predictive value of a test; conclusive/exclusive strength; Fagan nomogram; ROC curves; net reclassification index 4. Bias and confounding factors 5. Types of studies, strengths and limitations : a. Cross-sectional studies ; b. Case-controls ; c. Cohorts ; d. Post-marketing surveillance and evaluation of medicines; e. Diagnostic and prognostic studies ; f. Randomised clinical trials ; g. Systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses 6. Quality analysis of epidemiological studies : a. Non-randomised intervention studies: ROBINS; SIGN grids; b. Diagnostic studies: QUADAS-2 c. Randomised clinical trials: Cochrane risk of bias tool; RoB 2 d. Systematic literature reviews: AMSTAR-2.

Assessment method

The assessment is based on a 20-30 question MCQ examination. The wording of some questions will be based on abstracts of scientific articles, some in English. Each valid question is scored as "+1", an incomplete question is scored as "0", and an incorrect answer is scored as "-0.25". A calculator is required.

Sources, references and any support material

The presentations made during the auditorium sessions, as well as the exercises carried out during the practical sessions, constitute the reference material of the course. These presentations contain the essential theoretical material, but need to be completed during the exercises in the lectures and practical sessions. These two books can usefully be used as a basis for study (without obligation to buy): 1. Statistics-Epidemiology by T. Ancelle, Ed. Maloine 2017 2. Démarche clinique et médecine factuelle by Pierre Chevalier, Presses universitaires de Louvain 2015

Language of instruction

Français