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Research and Evidence (PHTY90122)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 18.75On Campus (Parkville)
To learn more, visit 2023 Course and subject delivery.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Overview
Availability | Year Long (Extended) |
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Fees | Look up fees |
This year-long subject will focus on the application of research and its relevance to physiotherapy practice and the process of evidence-based practice. Research principles taught in this subject will be integrated and implemented into concurrent subjects in the Doctor of Physiotherapy program, including core physiotherapy clinical practice streams. Specific content in this subject will focus on exploratory, experimental, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, research design and methodology, incorporating ethics of clinical human research, statistical analysis and critical appraisal. Epidemiological constructs of prevalence, incidence and risk will be introduced in conjunction with applied clinical concepts such as number needed to treat and odds ratios. Qualitative research methodology, including critical appraisal and interpretation of individual perspectives of health and illness will be introduced, and students will be expected to plan, execute and analyse a qualitative interview of individuals' health perspectives. Clinical guidelines will be explored, including how they can be used to inform clinical practice and application of tools available for critical appraisal. Steps involved in developing a research proposal and strategies for incorporating evidence-based practice into daily clinical practice will draw together the curriculum in this subject and strategies for pitching and communicating a research proposal will be mastered.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Search, identify and critique relevant evidence to respond to contemporary physiotherapy clinical enquiry.
- Compute and interpret descriptive statistics for a quantitative data set.
- Understand and apply the fundamental concepts that apply to the ethical conduct of research.
- Critically appraise research including exploratory and experimental studies for the validity of their conclusions and to explain the relevance for patients, the profession, policy makers and funders of physiotherapy services.
- Critically appraise qualitative research and methodologies that relate to an individual's perspectives of health and illness and contrast this to quantitative approaches.
- Plan, conduct and analyse a qualitative interview of an individual's perspectives of health and illness.
- Perform and interpret findings from basic inferential statistical tests, including measures of relative risk and odds ratios, and interpret findings from common statistical approaches relevant to meta-analyses.
- Interpret the clinical relevance of findings from different sources of evidence including systematic reviews and clinical guidelines to inform physiotherapy practice.
- Explore the diversity of populations represented in systematic review data and the generalisability of findings to culturally and ethnically diverse populations.
- Communicate the methodology and findings of a research study for a physiotherapy audience in an oral presentation.
- Identify the sources of funding available for physiotherapy research, and how this funding shapes the research agenda in physiotherapy.
Generic skills
- Critically appraising qualitative and quantitative research studies
- Accessing new knowledge, to analyse and interpret it in a critical manner, and to apply it appropriately
- Written and verbal communication skills, including group presentation skills
- Be able to examine, critically synthesise and evaluate scientific information
- Participate in collaborative learning
- Recognise the value of research evidence to clinical practice.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
PHTY90117 | Integrated Professional Practice A | Semester 1 (Early-Start) (On Campus - Parkville) |
31.25 |
Corequisites
Non-allowed subjects
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Critical appraisal essay
| Mid semester 1 | 30% |
Qualitative interview plan & report (small group), approx. 3 students) Students will be marked as a group.
| Mid semester 2 | 25% |
Research Proposal Presentation (group)
| End of semester 2 | 10% |
Research Proposal Report (group)
| End of semester 2 | 15% |
ePortfolio
| End of Semester 2 | 20% |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- Year Long (Extended)
Coordinator Jennifer McGinley Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 255 hours Teaching period 16 January 2023 to 10 November 2023 Last self-enrol date 27 January 2023 Census date 31 May 2023 Last date to withdraw without fail 22 September 2023 Assessment period ends 17 November 2023
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
Last updated: 31 January 2024