Gain a strong career advantage as a researcher or health professional.
Develop an in-depth understanding of research and how it influences your practice. Learn from experienced researchers and clinicians who advise government on national policy.
Access their knowledge wherever you are in the world as you develop your understanding of health-based research. This course is a perfect foundation for clinical leadership roles, whether in medical, nursing or the allied health professions.
You’ll learn with a university awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for 40 years of excellence in health services research. We have a distinguished track record in putting health research into practice and you’ll benefit from this unique expertise.
What will I study?
Our Evidence-Based Health course is designed to give you a solid foundation in the understanding and application of evidence-based health at an individual and population level.
It focuses on the use of systematic reviews to synthesise evidence. You’ll also explore how evidence is used to inform health practice and policy.
You’ll learn how to:
- systematically review papers and other literature to source your evidence
- quality assess and synthesise your evidence using different tools
- implement your results with an individual patient, or in the form of guidelines for a service provider or other organisation, including a whole population at national level.
In the first half of the course, you’ll develop the skills to search literature, identify evidence, quality assess and extract data.
Learning to synthesise your data, you’ll see how it can be used to shape health policy and practice, both at the level of organisations and individual clinical encounters.
In the second half of the course, we’ll help you format your synthesised evidence as guidelines, and explore how to implement them, considering the possible barriers and facilitators.
By the end of this course, you will…
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Have an in-depth understanding of evidence-based health at an individual and population level.
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Have the skills to source and translate evidence, through to putting it into practice with an individual patient, or with a whole population through national guidelines.
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Know how to synthesise data so that you can use it to shape health policy and practice.
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Learn how to turn your evidence into guidelines, and how to implement them.
How will I study?
Evidence-Based Health is a 12-week course delivered entirely online. You can study with us anywhere in the world and manage your study hours to suit you.
Part of several of our Health-related Masters degrees, this course is taught at Masters level by experienced health researchers and clinical academics.
Your course is delivered through MyAberdeen, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Also available as an app, you can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and mobile device 24/7.
Your course features a range of resources, including:
- videos
- podcasts
- interviews with clinicians
- tutorials via Powerpoint with audio
- reading materials
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library
- discussion boards with classmates.
The first week of your course will be pre-course reading, and your final week will be for revision prior to your final online assessment.
Your teaching team
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Dr Mairead Black – Course coordinator
Mairead is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics and a former Research Fellow with the Wellcome Trust. Her work is helping to improve women’s experiences and the outcomes of childbirth around the globe.
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Dr Eilidh Duncan – Research Fellow
Eilidh is a Health Psychologist and specialist in implementation research. Part of our Health Services Research Unit since 2009, she works to strengthen the evidence-base for improving healthcare.
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Dr Amudha Poobalan – Systematic reviewer
Amudha graduated in Medicine in 1991 and she now specialises in obesity research, which she collaborates on all over the world. She heads also our Master of Public Health and MSc in Nursing degrees.
Where will this take me?
Evidence-Based Health is one of a suite of Health courses that we offer online. These can be used to build up credits towards higher qualifications.
Further learning
You’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards further study, including our:
- PgCert in Research Methods for Health
- PgCert, PgDip or Masters in Clinical Nutrition – study online
- Master of Public Health (MPH) degree – study online or on campus.
See our full range of postgraduate Applied Health degrees.
Careers
As a graduate in health sciences or a practising researcher, this course will help you develop your research career.
If you’re a practising health professional, gaining skills in systematic reviewing, synthesising and using guidelines will enhance your career options and prospects.
The course is a perfect foundation for clinical leadership roles. These could include:
- team leader roles
- ward manager roles
- clinical project management
- service development
- National Guideline Centre development committee membership.
As someone with a non-clinical background, completing this course could allow you to join national policy development groups.
Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.
Free careers advice
We’ll help you explore your career potential and connect with job opportunities around the world.
You can access our free careers service while you study.
From interview training to CV clinics, we’re here with tailored, impartial and professional advice.
This course includes many of the same learning outcomes as our on-campus Systematic Reviewing short course. We do not recommend studying both. If progressing to a related Masters, credits will only count from one of these courses, not both.
Entry guidance
This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.
The course is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:
- a 2:2 (second-class) degree
- or relevant experience that supports this level of study.
Apply for this course
