Methods in Global Health Research

Objectives:

The aim of this course is to introduce the students to different scientific perspectives and research paradigms (traditions), and to facilitate the development of research skills relevant to global health.

Content:

The course provides an overview of the theory of science related to the use of different research methodologies for global health, as well as key concepts and approaches to study design, data collection methods and analysis related to these methodologies. Global health issues are used as the basis for formulating both epidemiological and qualitative research questions. Students are introduced to the principles of data collection, processing and interpretation of epidemiological and qualitative data and are given individual and group assignments for both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to develop their skills. Ethical considerations and analytical approaches are emphasized. The course also includes critical reviews of research articles.

The seminars and group assignments require compulsory attendance. All teaching and group work require student preparation prior to the face-to-face meetings.

On completion of the course the student should have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student can:

• Explain/describe the philosophical underpinnings of research methodologies used in global health studies
• Describe the theoretical foundation and concepts of qualitative study designs in research
• Discuss the principles of causality in research
• List relevant databases for scientific literature
• Compare different research concepts and epidemiological study designs such as randomized controlled trials, observational studies (cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies,)
• Describe qualitative research methods (observations, interviews, group discussions and document analysis)
• Explain the concepts of probability, correlation, standard error, hypothesis testing and p-values
• Explain different types of distributions
• Explain the difference between estimation and statistical testing
• Recognize ethical challenges in global health research; integrity, accountability and social responsibility and their possible consequences.

Skills

The student can:

• Search systematically for and critically evaluate scientific literature in global health
• Critically evaluate scientific literature in global health
• Formulate appropriate objectives, study designs and methods and tools for data collection and analysis and argue for these choices
• Describe what is required of an ethically sound study
• Develop a qualitative interview guide and plan a qualitative interview
• Conduct basic coding/analysis and establish thematic categories of qualitative data
• Display and summarise data in tables and graphs
• Estimate disease occurrence
• Estimate and interpret measures of associations
• Calculate and interpret confidence intervals
• Choose the correct statistical method to compare two or more groups
• Perform sample size calculations for the precision of proportions and means and for the power to compare two groups
• Perform and interpret linear and logistic regression analyses and basic survival analyses
• Discuss measures to increase trustworthiness in qualitative research and how to minimize bias and confounding in quantitative research
• Describe the characteristics of a good visual and oral presentation

General competence

The student can:

• Reflect upon the role of different disciplines and research methodologies in global health research relevant for low- and middle income countries
• Critically evaluate and interpret results from global health research and its relevance, societal and ethical implications