After completing this course, you will:

• • Understand and be able to measure disease incidence and prevalence and measures of effect.
  • Appreciate the strengths and limitations of different sources of epidemiological data on health status and health service utilization in both industrialised and less developed countries.
  • Understand the application of different study designs in palliative care research, including cross-sectional, observational, cohort, case-control, quasi-experimental and experimental studies, and those using routine data, and be able to appreciate the strengths and limitations of each one.
  • Be aware of the importance of ensuring good quality measurements of quality of life, health status, disease, and exposure status.
  • Be able to take into consideration random errors, bias and confounding effects when interpreting data and understand the difference between statistical association and causality.
  • Be aware of the practical value and limitations of different forms of epidemiological evidence, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, number-needed-to-treat or harm in formulating and influencing public health policy decisions in palliative care.

Learning outcomes

The 2-week course includes seminars, group work and self-learning and covers the following topics:

• Measuring health and disease
• Study designs (e.g. cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, experimental and quasi-experimental studies)
• How to read/critique a paper
• Interpretation of epidemiological studies
• Routine sources of epidemiological data
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Qualified healthcare professionals

Assessment

3,500-word assignment

Teaching schedule

22/06/2026 - 03/07/2026 (10 teaching days)