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University of Leeds

Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research

University of Leeds via FutureLearn

Overview

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Everything we do in healthcare has to be discovered and thoroughly tested before it can be put into practice. In this course, you will explore clinical research – its challenges and its huge benefits to modern healthcare. You will work through case studies and examine how research contributes to the treatment of major diseases, such as cancer and dementia, examining the process of conducting research and the ethical questions raised. You will learn how members of a research team, academics and participants in clinical research all contribute to this process of discovery.

This course has been ranked as one of the best online courses of all time by online course aggregator class central.

This course is designed for anyone who wants to know more about modern healthcare, and the role of clinical research and discovery within it.

It will be of special interest to: students at school or college; undergraduates or postgraduates who are contemplating a career in healthcare or the life sciences; and health and social care professionals and practitioners who want to find out more about the role of clinical research in improving healthcare.

This course has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles. By completing the course you will have achieved 16 hours of CPD time.

No previous knowledge is needed to take this course.

Syllabus

  • Why do we do research?
    • Welcome to the course
    • What is clinical research?
    • Who benefits from clinical research?
    • What makes good research?
    • An example of a current research trial
    • Summary
  • How do we do research?
    • Welcome to week two
    • How has research developed?
    • Designing modern clinical trials
    • Where are we going?
    • An example of current research
    • Summary
  • Ethics and respect
    • Welcome to Week 3
    • What does respect mean?
    • Rules, regulations and the law
    • What is informed consent?
    • An example of theory in practice
    • Summary
  • Research in practice
    • Welcome to Week 4
    • How do we put research into practice?
    • What happens to the results of research?
    • How is this all funded?
    • An example of theory in practice
    • Summary

Taught by

Allan Gaw and Fiona O'Neill

Reviews

4.8 rating, based on 72 Class Central reviews

4.7 rating at FutureLearn based on 156 ratings

Start your review of Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research

  • Anonymous
    I loved doing this course. It was informative, interesting and explained all aspects of clinical research really well. I especially liked being able to post comments and see the comments of others taking the course. This raised lots of questions that I hadn't thought of and the appropriate answers. I liked the learning format and the fact that you could pick up and put down as time demanded.
    I am fairly new to research and would recommend this course to anyone
  • Anonymous
    It was a very helpful and innovative course for beginner who are new to the NHS and want to know about research in the UK. It has been an eye opener for someone like me who did not have much exposure to research back in my medical school days. I have understood a lot of information in regards to research and ethics and committees involved. A very helpful course
  • Anonymous
    An excellent course , very informative for people like me who is very new to the world of Research. The aspects of researches are explained by experts and each video has transcript too. Prior to this course, I never understood what is Ethical approval , Ethics Committee, how to gain consent in terms of research trials. All these points are well explained in this course. I am really thankful to the course providers , FurureLearn via University of Leeds for facilitating the module at free of cost.
  • Anonymous
    This course helped me to understand more about clinical research. It was definitely a useful and eye opening course. I think it will definitively help people who are interested in research speciality.
  • Profile image for Hanson Agyei Ankrah
    Hanson Agyei Ankrah
    best training program to prepare you to the real world on improving healthcare through clinical research.
  • Anonymous
    I've found this course to be very helpful in giving a brief explanation about clinical research. The course has opened my eyes to different aspects of clinical research that I had not been aware of. The course is perfect for someone who is starting a medical or science degree. However, it is not only limited to students. Anyone interested in the study of clinical research will attain knowledge that will give them insight on the subject.
  • Anonymous
    Really enjoyed this course! Good mix of historical context, basic methodology and good examples 'in practice. I thought the mock REC exercise and the exercise around media headlines about research in particular were great.
  • Anonymous
    I am a volunteer at my local hospital as a Patient Research Ambassador. I am not medically trained. I found the course easy to follow and inspiring. I have learned a lot about clinical research and I strongly recommend it to anyone who is considering becoming a Patient Research Ambassador and wants to know more about the subject.
  • Anonymous
    The course is very informative and produced very well. All the presenters are very easy to understand and talk in a way that is interesting to everyone. It is very good for learning about all aspects of research, from idea development, funding, practise and reporting. Would highly recommend for anyone new to research in any role.
  • Anonymous
    As an Aussie Consumer involved in cancer trials I found this course a great refresher. Understandably a little was UK specific (eg regulations) however the vast majority of the course by far would be applicable in any country. I have recommended it to many of my colleagues.
  • Anonymous
    This course was an eye-opener for me in the research community, it clearly and painstakingly explained what is necessary at all levels of clinical research methodology. The lecturer was giving real-life experiences which showcase the expected guidelines if an individual choose this pathway in their career. The course had rekindled my confidence to learn more and seek a career pathway in clinical research with my database acumen
  • Anonymous
    The course was well structured, the site was user friendly. really enjoyed learning and improving my knowledge regarding research in general.
  • Anonymous
    This gave me a good bases of understanding clinical research.

    Very informative and written well, with a good mix of written and audio learning. The check your knowledge quizzes were useful and links to further reading has given me options to develop my knowledge further.
  • Anonymous
    A fantastic way of teaching research.

    This is very useful course. I enjoyed the learning very much.

    I have learnt which I always considered the difficult contents, through small interesting and easily described in divided topics.

    Thank you
  • Anonymous
    Excellent overview course which is suitable for people with or without any scientific / clinical background.
    The useful videos make the course easy to understand and brings some of the clinical study stories to life. Would recommend.
  • Marcia Green
    Very informative and at a good pace, I enjoyed the subject matter and felt it fit in well with being a new member of staff with the NIHR admin team. I now have a better understanding of how clinical research is governed.
  • Anonymous
    This course really let you understand more about basic steps in reseach. The videos are very well explained and with different exercises during the course, you can improve your knowledge.
  • Anonymous
    I really liked this course because it shows the perspective of various participants in the clinical research process. The explanations are very clear and the course is dynamic.
  • Anonymous
    A complete course covering ALL relevant terms in the field of clinical research, Prof Allan Gaw is an incredible reference to follow! I recommend it to everyone!
  • Anonymous
    Very interesting and very useful for all those involved or looking to get involved in clinical research.
  • Anonymous
    The course is well organized, presented in simple manner, full of current developments and very much interested. Few new developments in clinical research such as personalized clinical care/ considering genetic make up in future clinical research and practical tips for tranlating research findings into practice are fascinating. The practical, real world examples given throughout the course helped understand the concepts and removes boredom. There are lot of positive and engouraging aspects in the course. The only thing which is quite negative is the high charges for getting the completion certificate. Overall, in the technical point of view the course is very useful for young/ early level researchers.

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