Medical Statistics

Undergraduate course

ECTS credits: 5
Teaching semesters
Course code: MEDSTA
Teaching language: Norwegian
Resources: Schedule

Select course description for semester

Objectives and Content

Aim:

The course will give an introduction to modern statistical methods in medical research

Contents:

The course will give the students knowledge about:

Study design, probability theory, descriptive statistics, diagnostic tests, fundamental distributions, important methodical concepts/measures, hypothesis testing, estimation, fundamental test procedures, correlation, logistic regression and survival analysis

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

After completing the course, the students should be able to explain the concepts

- research design

- probability theory

- descriptive statistics

- diagnostic tests

- fundamental distributions

- estimation and hypothesis testing

- correlation and regression

- logistic regression and survival analysis

Skills

After completing the course, the students should be able to

- describe a collection of observations both numerically and graphically

- calculate p-values and confidence intervals and interpret these in simple standard situations

- perform statistical analysis on medical data

General skills

After completing the course, the students should be able to

- critically evaluate the use of statistics in medical literature

Level of Study

Bachelor/integrated master

Semester of Instruction

Spring

Recommended Previous Knowledge

Basic mathematics R2 (Euclidean vectors, algebra, trigonometry, integrals, differential equations, functions) or the equivalent

Teaching and learning methods

The course is delivered over eight teaching weeks, with four hours of instruction per week (two hours on Tuesdays and two hours on Fridays), for a total of 32 hours.

The course content is primarily presented through pre-recorded video lectures that have already been developed for the course. In-person teaching sessions are used to a greater extent for active problem-solving and the review of exam-relevant tasks.

Students are offered two voluntary take-home assignments during the semester. Students who submit their work by the specified deadlines receive individual feedback from their group leader. The assignments are designed to reflect the types of questions and level of difficulty found in the final examination.

Forms of Assessment

Assessment in the course consists of a three-hour written on-campus examination at the end of the semester.

Grading Scale

Pass/fail

Examination Support Material

• All calculators that comply with the models listed in the University of Bergen's regulations.
• All printed and handwritten aids (textbooks, personal notes, printouts, formula sheets, and similar materials).