Title:	Clinical Research and Evidence-based Medicine (SCREM)
Keywords:	Tropical medicine Research Medical & Clinical sciences International/Global Health Evidence based medicine
Country:	Belgium
Institution:	Belgium - Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine
Course coordinator:	Prof. Dr. Johan van Griensven
Date start:	2024-09-02
Date end:	2025-05-16
About duration and dates:	Number of weeks: 20 (16 weeks part-time distance learning/webinars + 4 weeks full time face-to-face)
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Blended-learning
Course location: Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium
ECTS credit points:	9 ECTS credits
SIT: 270 hours: 140 contact hours and 70 self-study hours, of which 60 during distance learning component
Language:	English
Description: At the end of the module the student should be able to: 1. Design a research project in the field of etiology of health problems, effectiveness and efficiency of diagnostics or clinical management and disease prevention in low resource settings; 2. Apply principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM). This includes the ability to use gathered evidence in guideline and algorithm development, and the ability to evaluate guidelines; 3. Retrieve relevant published articles related to a research question and evaluate relevance of clinical research results in relation to a concrete low resource setting; 4. Communicate research results to both professional and scientific communities in a written and oral way. 5. Recognize pitfalls in the implementation of research projects; 6. Apply Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and ethics in clinical research; 7. Write a research grant application including budget and identifying sources of funding for small-scale research projects.
Assessment Procedures: Evaluation consists of the following assessment methods: - Portfolio assessment: 1) Written essay on EBM (30% of final mark); 2) Executive summary of the research project (20% of final mark); 3) Oral presentation of the research project – max. 10 slides (50% of final mark). The three components will need to be passed, with a pass mark of ≥50%. For the EBM evaluation, executive summary and the oral presentation of the personal project a re-sit is possible with the same requirements, within 4 weeks after the end of the course via online meeting.
Content: Starting from a practical question participants encountered in their clinical work (“draft personal project” as mentioned below under selection criteria), a critical analysis of literature is done and an applied research protocol is identified at the start of the course. The following contents will be contextualized in a specific setting individually and/or in small groups (2-3 participants). 1. Protocol development: from observation to hypothesis, from hypothesis to study methodology and sampling populations; 2. Presenting medical statistics: how to present statistical information for a proposal, a paper or a report; 3. Presentation of results in a written (written protocol) and oral (power point presentation) way; 4. Critical reading: pitfalls in research (bias in hypothesis, in inclusion, in analysis, in interpretation, in applicability); 5. Literature Search: how to run a literature search, levels and types of evidence of published research; 6. Principles of EBM and introduction to constructing and evaluating guidelines and algorithms; 7. IT skills: Excel, Statistical programme (“R”); 8. Seminars: ● Ethical aspects of research; ● Research funding; ● Introduction to principles of GCP. The online component of the course (eSCREM) provides a comprehensive overview of epidemiological methods and research protocols, structured through a combination of webinars, written modules and practical assignments. It involves modules on disease frequency, clinical epidemiology, literature review, data description, and measuring association. The final part includes developing a personal research protocol, with specific focus areas such as research question formulation, literature appraisal, introduction and objectives, methods and ethics, and optional sample size calculation. Each online module involves assignments, and feedback sessions, to reinforce learning and practical application.
Methods: The course predominantly employs adult learning methodologies, particularly the problem-oriented Socratic approach, which fosters inductive learning. Small group assignments, comprising 2-3 participants, are facilitated by a tutor, encouraging collaborative problem-solving. Planned plenary sessions (3 sessions) provide opportunities for collective reflection and synthesis of learning between peers. Expert consultants are invited to address specific topics such as ethics, statistical methods, and funding, contextualizing discussions with examples drawn from participants' protocols. The course eschews traditional lecture-based teaching in favour of active learning methods. Moodle serves as the Learning Management System (LMS) for both distance learning and in-house management, facilitating online lectures enriched with self-assessments, MCQ quizzes, mandatory discussion forum participation, and webinars to ensure interactive engagement.
Prerequisites: - Holders of a medical or a paramedical university degree of min 240 ECTS credits; - Minimum of two years professional experience in the clinical field; - Past or current involvement in one of these fields: o Research and/or application of EBM, o Development of clinical guidelines and/or algorithms, o Coaching of medical or paramedical thesis projects in health sciences higher education, o Teaching clinical epidemiology / EBM. - Basic knowledge of statistics and epidemiology (descriptive and inferential/bivariate statistics and basic clinical epidemiology), equivalent to the level of a core course in international health; - Computer skills: Word, PowerPoint, Excel (basics); - Proficiency in English (students should be able to read and interpret perfectly English texts. Non-native English speakers or participants who did not use English as course-language during previous academic studies must provide proof of a TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) score of 79-93, an IELTS score of 6.5 or other qualifying evidence of an English CEFR level of B2-C1 (meaning a higher tier B2 or C1). PREREQUISITES for admission to the face-to-face part of the course: -for individual students: passing score at written weekly assignments (MCQ quizzes) and post-test during the distance learning component along with research protocol development; -for ITM Master of Science students: passing score at Research Approaches in International Health course. For the written weekly assignments of individual students in the online component of the course, the post-test and the protocol development, no re-sit is possible.
Attendance: Max 20 participants (tropEd students accommodated according to eSCREM performance)
Selection: - Personal motivation; - Involvement in actual or past research / EBM application; - Scope of professional experience; - Personal project. Participants are asked to apply with a draft outline of a personal project; - Future career perspectives; - Enrolment in MPH or MIH/tropEd curriculum;
Fees: € 1074 EEA /€ 2940 non-EEA
Scholarships: Limited number of scholarships are available for applicants from developing countries, priority given to Belgian Development Cooperation (DGD) partner countries (see list on ITM website, www.itg.be).
Major changes since initial accreditation: The SCREM course has been a blended course since 2014. Changes since previous accreditation: (i)The face-to-face (F2F) component of the course has been recently reduced from 5 weeks to 4, allowing for earlier engagement in research protocol development, during the online component, conducted via online modules and webinars. The distance learning component runs now from Sept till December (16 weeks instead than 8 weeks), in an asynchronous format, intercalated by 6 webinars of 2h each. (ii)This online adjustment enables to accommodate more F2F students (max 20), enhancing mentorship opportunities for research protocol finalization during the in-person phase of the course. (iii)The Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) content of the F2F course has been revised and integrated with the clinical epidemiology sessions. (iv)To align with these modifications, the course assessment portfolio has been adjusted, including the addition of a written essay focusing on EBM. (v)Students who attain a passing mark in the "Research Approaches in International Health" course are exempted from eSCREM, except for participation in the webinars focusing on protocol development.
Student evaluation: The course and its teaching methodology, particularly the problem-oriented "Socratic approach," have been highly valued by SCREM students. The course is known for its high interactivity, including extensive brainstorming, group discussions, and immediate feedback on student presentations. The ITM environment is considered highly conducive, aiding participants in fully grasping the course topics essential for formulating research protocols and delivering guidelines. Students consistently rate their overall experience of the course between "excellent" and "very good" on a Likert scale.
Lessons learned: The course content has been adapted based on student feedback and the perceived relevance of proposed changes, facilitated through systematic group discussions and electronic surveys. Certain components of the course, such as the use of statistical software and a more interactive introduction to clinical epidemiology, have been fine-tuned in the current blended SCREM format.
tropEd accreditation: First submission Paris, May 2008, re-accreditation 2013 and 2019; Re-accreditation in Cuernavaca, June 2024. This accreditation is valid until June 2029.
Remarks: The face-to-face part of the SCREM takes place for 4 weeks starting half of April. Applications usually close the 1st of July of the preceding year.
Email Address:	bbroucker@itg.be
Date Of Record Creation:	2019-08-08 08:14:56 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2019-08-08 12:48:48 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2019-08-08 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-07-10 08:35:51 (W3C-DTF)