For some of the products, notably the study protocol, each trainee chooses a personal topic fitting an individual professional plan. Others, such as the cost-effectiveness analysis, involve topics selected by the faculty. The products are concise, varying in length from 2 to 5 pages, and serve as a tangible basis for further work after completing the Clinical Research Workshop. Before the first session, each trainee will develop a research question and do a literature search for a study the trainee would like to carry out. The course then provides guidance for creating a concise proposal that includes study design, subject recruitment and sampling plan, measurement instrument and questionnaire, consent form, budget and time-table.
Trainees create and justify a set of assumptions and carry out their own sample size estimates.
Each trainee reviews the work of a colleague and presents a concise critique at a mock study section. Trainees create a protocol, abstract data, and perform a meta-analysis using customized spreadsheet software. Trainees evaluate published analyses and complete a cost-effectiveness analysis using data provided. Structure and Materials Trainees may enroll in either the Clinical Research Workshop, the Quantitative Reviews Workshop, or both. The Clinical Research Workshop is held on Tuesday mornings, August 3 to September 14, and October 5, 1999.