Evidence-Based Research Methods and Practise

1.1 The role of Evidence Based Practice in occupational therapy: what is meant by Evidence Based Practice; reliability of efficacy tests; the classification of efficacy tests; observational and experimental studies
1.2 Descriptive observational studies: from the single clinical case to the series of clinical cases; transversal descriptive studies: punctual, period and lifetime prevalence; longitudinal descriptive studies: cumulative incidence and incidence density
1.3 Analytical observational studies: what is meant by risk, risk factor and exposure; how to associate the alleged risk factor with the harmful event; cross-sectional, case-control, cohort analytical studies
1.4 Experimental studies: in vitro preclinical phase, in vivo preclinical phase; experimental descriptive studies; clinical trials: randomization, blindness, placebo effect; the phases of the clinical trial: from phase 0 to phase 4; the role of the ethics committee: from the Nuremberg Code to the Helsinki Declaration
2. Collection, management, data processing: data collection methods (observation, interview, questionnaire, database); questionnaires: standardization and validation; the pitfalls of transcribing data; use of EXCEL to rationally store data; keep in mind: garbage in garbage out !; ABC of the representation of data in tables and graphs
3.1 Interpretation of cross-sectional studies (risk factor and harmful event detected at the same time) in occupational therapy: how to present a cross-sectional study; the ingredients to rationally define the size of the study: presumed size of the effect, extent of uncertainty, degree of certainty; how to associate the risk factor (type of health profession) to the harmful event (non-involvement of families in the rehabilitation process): comparison between percentages
3.2 Interpretation of case-control studies (from the detection of the harmful event to the previous exposure to a risk factor) in occupational therapy: how to present a case-control study; the odds as a measure of the frequency of exposure to a risk factor; the odds ratio (OR) as a measure of the association between a risk factor (presence of steps in the home environment) and a harmful event (fall and consequent fracture of the femur)
3.3 Interpretation of cohort studies (from the detection of exposure to a risk factor in the event of a harmful event) in occupational therapy: how to present a cohort study; absolute risk as a measure of the occurrence of a harmful event; relative risk (RR) as a measure of the association between risk factor (stroke hospitalization department) and harmful event (failure to start a rehabilitation program)
3.4 Interpretation of controlled and randomized trials in occupational therapy (evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions): how to present a randomized clinical trial (RCT); the measures of effectiveness of an occupational therapy intervention (home visit aimed at removing domestic hazards) in a randomized controlled trial: absolute risk reduction of femoral fracture (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), number of patients treat (NNT); why prefer NTN as an efficacy measure
3.5 The experimental model in the health sector: what is meant by an experimental model; how to isolate the effect of the intervention from the placebo effect and the effect of the singularity of the patient; role of blindness, simultaneity, sufficient definition of the target population, randomization, adequate size of the study in the definition of an experimental study; the confidence interval as a measure of the uncertainty of the efficacy indices of a rehabilitation intervention in a randomized clinical trial; statistical significance and clinical importance.
4.1 Systematic reviews: what is meant by Cochrane review and meta-analysis; Prism checklist, quality of efficacy tests, selection of studies to be included; forest plot; two examples of systematic reviews; take home message: absence of evidence (statistics) does not mean evidence of absence (of clinical importance).

1.1 The role of Evidence Based Practice in occupational therapy: what is meant by Evidence Based Practice; reliability of efficacy tests; the classification of efficacy tests; observational and experimental studies
1.2 Descriptive observational studies: from the single clinical case to the series of clinical cases; transversal descriptive studies: punctual, period and lifetime prevalence; longitudinal descriptive studies: cumulative incidence and incidence density
1.3 Analytical observational studies: what is meant by risk, risk factor and exposure; how to associate the alleged risk factor with the harmful event; cross-sectional, case-control, cohort analytical studies
1.4 Experimental studies: in vitro preclinical phase, in vivo preclinical phase; experimental descriptive studies; clinical trials: randomization, blindness, placebo effect; the phases of the clinical trial: from phase 0 to phase 4; the role of the ethics committee: from the Nuremberg Code to the Helsinki Declaration
2. Collection, management, data processing: data collection methods (observation, interview, questionnaire, database); questionnaires: standardization and validation; the pitfalls of transcribing data; use of EXCEL to rationally store data; keep in mind: garbage in garbage out !; ABC of the representation of data in tables and graphs
3.1 Interpretation of cross-sectional studies (risk factor and harmful event detected at the same time) in occupational therapy: how to present a cross-sectional study; the ingredients to rationally define the size of the study: presumed size of the effect, extent of uncertainty, degree of certainty; how to associate the risk factor (type of health profession) to the harmful event (non-involvement of families in the rehabilitation process): comparison between percentages
3.2 Interpretation of case-control studies (from the detection of the harmful event to the previous exposure to a risk factor) in occupational therapy: how to present a case-control study; the odds as a measure of the frequency of exposure to a risk factor; the odds ratio (OR) as a measure of the association between a risk factor (presence of steps in the home environment) and a harmful event (fall and consequent fracture of the femur)
3.3 Interpretation of cohort studies (from the detection of exposure to a risk factor in the event of a harmful event) in occupational therapy: how to present a cohort study; absolute risk as a measure of the occurrence of a harmful event; relative risk (RR) as a measure of the association between risk factor (stroke hospitalization department) and harmful event (failure to start a rehabilitation program)
3.4 Interpretation of controlled and randomized trials in occupational therapy (evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions): how to present a randomized clinical trial (RCT); the measures of effectiveness of an occupational therapy intervention (home visit aimed at removing domestic hazards) in a randomized controlled trial: absolute risk reduction of femoral fracture (ARR), relative risk reduction (RRR), number of patients treat (NNT); why prefer NTN as an efficacy measure
3.5 The experimental model in the health sector: what is meant by an experimental model; how to isolate the effect of the intervention from the placebo effect and the effect of the singularity of the patient; role of blindness, simultaneity, sufficient definition of the target population, randomization, adequate size of the study in the definition of an experimental study; the confidence interval as a measure of the uncertainty of the efficacy indices of a rehabilitation intervention in a randomized clinical trial; statistical significance and clinical importance.
4.1 Systematic reviews: what is meant by Cochrane review and meta-analysis; Prism checklist, quality of efficacy tests, selection of studies to be included; forest plot; two examples of systematic reviews; take home message: absence of evidence (statistics) does not mean evidence of absence (of clinical importance).

1. Introduction to databases;
2. Introduction to clinical question;
3. Definition of P.I.C.O.S. and keywords extraction;
4. Introduction to reporting checklist CARE, STROBE, CONSORT
4. Guided exercises;
5. Group exercises.

- Epistemological and practical differences between qualitative and quantitative research
- When it is appropriate to use a qualitative methodology (qualitative research questions and quantitative research questions)
- Phases of the qualitative research process (research question, design and methodology, data collection, data analysis, presentations of the results, conclusions)
- Main qualitative research methodologies (phenomenology, grounded theory and ethnography)
- Techniques to collect data in qualitative research (interview, narratives, focus groups, participant observation, naturalistic observation)
- The structured, semi-structured and unstructured interview
- How to conduct an unstructured interview
- How to analyze qualitative data according to the phenomenology approach (content analysis and interpretative analysis)
- How to write a scientific article reporting qualitative data