Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Epidemiology and Statistics
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
If the student is enrolled for the English track then classes for that subject will be taught in the same language.
Teaching staff
Office hours of this course are not pre-determined but are available on request via email to the appropriate professor.
Adrián González (agonzalezm@uic.es)
Introduction
In Health Sciences, and therefore in Dentistry, researchers study phenomena affected by variability. In this sense, clinical observation and the search for responses create the necessity to measure, order and systematize data to subsequently apply laws and extrapolate the obtained results to the study population, thus drawing conclusions for better clinical practice. Biostatistics is the science, that with scientific rigor, gives us the quantitative tools to reach this goal. Epidemiology, on the other hand, is "the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems". Both areas are necessary to perform analyses and critical readings of scientific literature and to promote clinical practices based on scientific evidence.
Pre-course requirements
Not required
Objectives
After the course students will have acquired the knowledge to:
- Carry out a basic statistical analysis.
- Properly interpret basic methodological aspects and results of scientific publications.
- Understand diseases based on various epidemiological measures.
- Know the different types of studies necessary for epidemiological research.
- Establish the methodological and analytical procedure to respond to the objectives posed by a clinical study.
- Plan a well-designed study.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
Skills that will be developed:
Use and management of information and search
Capacity for analysis and synthesis
Ability to work autonomously
Ability to apply knowledge in practice
Knowledge of the profession in the study area
Ability to generate knowledge from practice.
- 07 - Promoting new knowledge and techniques being acquired through autonomous learning, as well as the motivation to achieve quality.
- 08 - Knowing how to share information with other healthcare professionals and how to work as part of a team.
- 09 - Understanding the importance of keeping and using patient files in order to subsequently analyse them, while ensuring patient confidentiality is maintained.
- 11 - Understanding the basic biomedical science Dentistry is based on in order to ensure that adequate dental healthcare is provided.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- 2.06 - Develop appropriate research questions
- 2.08 - Know how to read scientific literature critically and recognize its parts
- 2.10 - Understand the fundamental concepts related to epidemiology and the scientific process
- 2.11 - Understand and interpret the fundamental concepts of bio statistics related to dentistry
- 2.12 - Use of specific IT tools
Syllabus
- Introduction to statistics
- Descriptive statistics
- Frequency tables
- Statistical measures (central tendency, spread, position and shape)
- Graphical representations
- Bivariate descriptive statistics
- Inferential statistics
- Introduction: confidence intervals and hypothesis testing
- Univariate inference
- Bivariate inference
- Epidemiology
- Introduction to epidemiology
- Types of studies
- Measures of frequency
- Measures of association
- Measures of impact
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The theoretical classes will be given in the form of a master class in the classroom.
In the practical classes in the classroom, which will deal with topics covered in the theoretical classes, a statistical program will be used to carry out the proposed practical exercises. The explanations of the exercises will be available in videos for the students to perform them autonomously.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | METHODOLOGY | ECTS CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Therorical class | 2.5 | |
| Seinary | 0.5 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
First call:
- Final exam: The final exam (test) will include all content learned in the course and will make up 50% of the student's final grade. It is mandatory that the student passes the test to pass the course.
- Final project: The student will apply concepts learned in the practical classes and turn in the final product at the end of the course. It will make up 30% of the final grade. It is mandatory that the student passes the final project to pass the course.
- Continuous evaluation: Small assignments during the duration of the course. They will make up 20% of the final grade.
Second call:
To pass the class, it is mandatory to pass the part/s not passed in the first call (final exam and/or final project, which will have the same format than in the first call). The marks of the part passed on the first call (final exam or final project) will be kept.
Bibliography and resources
- Martínez-González MA, Sánchez-Villegas A, Faulín Fajardo FJ. Bioestadística amigable (2ª ED). Díaz de Santos. Madrid; 2006.
- Pardo Merino A, Ruiz Diaz MA, San Martín R. Análisis de datos en Ciencias Sociales y de la Salud I (2ª ED). Editorial Síntesis
- CDC. Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. Third Edition. Atlanta: CDC; 2012.
Evaluation period
- E1 20/05/2025 A15 12:00h
- E1 20/05/2025 I3 12:00h
- E1 20/05/2025 I1 12:00h
- E1 20/05/2025 I2 12:00h
- E1 20/05/2025 A12 12:00h