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Evidence Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews) at University of Oxford - UCAS

University of Oxford

Degree level: Postgraduate

Evidence Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews) (Taught)

Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. For health professionals seeking an understanding of the importance of systematic reviews in healthcare as well as the practical skills to conduct them. Training is provided in the fundamental principles of evidence-based healthcare and research design, with more specific training in the conduct of basic and more complex systematic reviews. This course is designed for health care professionals and researchers seeking to consolidate their understanding and ability in contextualising, carrying out, and applying systematic reviews appropriately in health care settings. The course aims to provide a structured training in designing, conducting, and interpreting high-quality systematic reviews in health care.

  • to introduce the basic concepts and skills of evidence-based health care, including how to formulate a clinical research question, search for evidence, critically appraise evidence for sources of bias, and apply evidence to health care settings
  • to describe in detail different types of research methods and identify the strengths and weaknesses of different study designs.
Students on the course will:
  • learn how to design a systematic review research protocol
  • gain a more detailed understanding of the process involved in conducting a systematic review
  • develop the skills to conduct, report and update a systematic review
  • gain a familiarity with basic and advanced techniques for the analysis of quantitative systematic review data: meta-analysis, meta-regression, network meta-analysis, diagnostic meta-analysis, individual patient data meta-analysis
  • gain an understanding of and reasons for more complex systematic reviews in health care, such as realist reviews, reviews of clinical study reports, prognostic reviews, and meta-synthesis
  • explore new paradigms in systematic reviews and evidence synthesis
  • gain sufficient training to conduct systematic reviews independently.
Compared with the MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care, this degree will suit those with a particular interest in and requirement for training in the conduct of systematic reviews relevant to evidence-based health care. This is a joint course offered between the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences and the Department for Continuing Education. The programme works in collaboration with the renowned Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine in Oxford. This course has teachers and contributors who are internationally recognised leaders in the field of evidence-based practice and systematic reviews. The flexible structure of the course has been devised to fit with the structure of specialist training and to accommodate student choice. Teaching is tailored to those with a minimal prior knowledge of systematic reviews and delivered by an experienced team of tutors from the University of Oxford, who actively work to advance the practice of evidence-based health care through the conduct and dissemination of systematic reviews. Course structure The MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews) is a part-time course. There are four compulsory modules, two option modules and a dissertation, which will take the form of a systematic review. Compulsory Modules:
  • The Practice of Evidence-Based Health Care
  • Systematic Reviews
  • Complex Reviews
  • Meta-analysis
Option Modules currently available (two must be chosen):
  • Introduction to Study Design and Research Methods
  • Realist Reviews and Realist Evaluation
  • Essential Medical Statistics
  • Qualitative and Mixed Methods Systematic Reviews
For the full description, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas


Entry requirements

For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For complete and up-to-date information about fees and funding for this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.
Evidence Based Health Care (Systematic Reviews) at University of Oxford - UCAS