Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- Dutton Park
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 1
- Administrative campus
- Dutton Park
- Coordinating unit
- Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences School
Evidence based practice, critical appraisal of studies, study design, clinical epidemiology.
Much of pharmacy practice is about making clinical decisions, for example, which treatment or medicine is the most effective for a particular patient. The answer(s) to this type of question depend on the knowledge, skills and resources available to the clinician (pharmacist and/or prescriber) and the patient's concerns, expectations, and values. This course focuses on how we know what we know and how you apply it to your patients - theﾠcritical appraisal and interpretation of clinical research as it relates to evidence-based practice (EBP). What empirical evidence is available? How good is that evidence? How well does it apply to the specific needs of my patient? With this course, you will understand different types of study design and their advantages and disadvantages within a pharmacy and public health context. You will learn how to discern clinically meaningful information from the research literature so you can make rational and relevant clinical decisions to care for your individual patient.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students should have undertaken PHRM1011, PHRM1012, PHRM1020 and PHRM2030 before enrolling in PHRM3031.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
PHRM3030
Restrictions
Only available to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course will be run alongsideﾠPHRM3301 in a blended learning format. The learning activities are provided in Week 1–5 and 13 of the semester. Each week consists of active online learning and a 2 hour workshop. See the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site for details.
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Aims and outcomes
The course aims to enable students to understand the role of clinical evidence and evidence based practiceﾠin clinical decision-making for patient care.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
identify the components forming an answerable research question and describe how to search the literature
LO2.
describe various study designs and be able to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each in specific circumstances
LO3.
critically appraise original clinical research articles in the context of evidence based practice (EBP)
LO4.
calculate clinically relevant measures of effect to assist in the interpretation and application of evidence
LO5.
demonstrate an ability to apply the principles of clinical epidemiology relevant to pharmacy practice and in a public health context
LO6.
apply and communicate evidence of treatment effects focused on an individual patient
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Critical appraisal assignment | 50% |
17/04/2025 1:00 pm |
| Examination |
Final examination
|
50% |
End of Semester Exam Period 7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025 |
Assessment details
Critical appraisal assignment
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
17/04/2025 1:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Demonstrate your ability to critically appraise an original research paper and note the clinical relevance for patients.
Task details:
- Provide a structured critical appraisal of a randomized trial.
- You will be provided with a study in Week 6.
- Word limit: 1,000 words. Use references from the literature to support your statements where appropriate. References can be cited using author-date or numerical styles, but need to be consistent with the specific academic referencing style used.
- A template for the assignment and marking criteria are provided on Blackboard.
- Use of AI is not necessary to complete the assignment and use that is not sufficiently careful or critical may hinder your ability to demonstrate that you have met the learning objectives.
- If you use generative AI in this assignment, you must appropriately acknowledge the use of AI or similar tool (see guidance) and be able to provide documentation on request that demonstrates your process and contribution (this may include AI prompts and responses)
- All assignments need to provide statement in an appendix regarding the use of AI and or machine translation technologies and a link to an online version of the assignment with a complete version history. Guidance on this requirement is available on Blackboard.
Submission guidelines
Submit the assignment via the Turnitin link provided in the course Learn.UQ (Blackboard) site.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Final examination
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06
Task description
- The exam will assess content from throughout the course. It will assess knowledge (content) and application of knowledge in numerical questions, cases and/or scenarios.
- This is an invigilated in-person exam.
- You will be will required to bring your own laptop computer to the exam.
- The exam will be undertaken via the Inspera eAssessment platform (as will any deferred or supplementary written exams). Go to the Inspera Assessment Information page link to navigate to the Library Services web page which provides further information on: how to access Inspera, on-campus invigilated exams in Inspera, device requirements, familiarisation opportunities, submitting assessment and access to the Student Laptop Scheme and short-term laptop-loans.
- The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Inspera |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop for End of Semester written exam | You can borrow a laptop from the Library if you do not have a suitable device for your exam. Loans are for 24 hours or 28 days and stocks are limited. | own item needed |
Additional learning resources information
Additional references will be provided to students throughout the semester via Blackboard.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Workshop |
Workshop series: Evidence-based practice and clinical epidemiology Six workshops will take place in weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 13 of semester. The six workshop topics are:
Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Not Timetabled |
Active online learning UQ Extend content is to be studied before attending each corresponding workshop. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.