How can you tell if the bold headlines seen on social media are truly touting the next big thing or if the article isn't worth the paper it's printed on? Understanding Medical Studies, will provide you with the tools and skills you need to critically interpret medical studies, and determine for yourself the difference between good and bad science. The course covers study-design, research methods, and statistical interpretation. It also delves into the dark side of medical research by covering fraud, biases, and common misinterpretations of data. Each lesson will highlight case-studies from real-world journal articles.
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By the end of this course, you'll have the tools you need to determine the trustworthiness of the scientific information you're reading and, of course, whether or not your Facebook friend is wrong.
What You Will Learn
- How to efficiently read a medical research paper and how to differentiate between good and bad research
- The different tests used in medical research and how to spot common errors in methodology and interoperation for each
- Read and understand statistical figures, charts, and graphics
- How best to verify claims made in news articles
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Welcome!
Find out what you'll be learning and what powers you'll have by the end of the course!
WEEK 2
The Basics
Gain some foundational knowledge!
WEEK 3
Medical Statistics Made Ridiculously Simple
It's (sort of) that easy!
WEEK 4
Types of Medical Studies
A test for every situation!
WEEK 5
How Wrong Conclusions Are Reached
Bad plan? Bad data? Bad actors?
WEEK 6
Bias
Subtle and hard to correct, Bias is the silent killer of good research.
WEEK 7
Fixing the Problems with Medical Studies
All hope is not lost!
