HSBH3005: Semester 2, 2021

Current students

Units HSBH3005 Semester 2 2021 [Normal day]

During 2021 we will continue to support students who need to study remotely due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and travel restrictions. Make sure you check the location code when selecting a unit outline or choosing your units of study in Sydney Student. Find out more about what these codes mean. Both remote and on-campus locations have the same learning activities and assessments, however teaching staff may vary. More information about face-to-face teaching and assessment arrangements for each unit will be provided on Canvas.

Unit of study_

HSBH3005: Evidence Based Health Care

Overview

Evidence-based health care is the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individuals or the delivery of health services. This unit will introduce students to evidence-based health care by developing an understanding of knowledge and evidence, and critical appraisal skills to inform decision-making in health care policy and practice.

Details

Academic unit	Health Sciences
Unit code	HSBH3005
Unit name	Evidence Based Health Care
Session, year ?	Semester 2, 2021
Attendance mode	Normal day
Location	Remote
Credit points	6

Enrolment rules

Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	HSBH1007 or HSBH2007
Corequisites ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff and contact details

Coordinator	Rachel Lee Thompson, rachel.thompson@sydney.edu.au
Administrative staff	SHS Education Support: shs.ltadmin@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Tutorial quiz	Quiz Quiz	10%	Week 03	25 minutes
Tutorial quiz	Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group annotated bibliography Group annotated bibliography	20%	Week 08	1000 words
Assignment	Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Critical appraisal essay Critical appraisal essay	70%	Week 12	2000 words
Assignment	Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

There are three assessments for this unit:

Quiz: Students will complete a multiple choice quiz based on material covered in Weeks 1 and 2.
Group annotated bibliography: Groups will prepare an annotated bibliography of a journal article as a poster.
Critical appraisal essay: Students will gather and critically appraise evidence corresponding to a health care question of their choice.

All assessments must be submitted in order to be eligible to pass the unit. If any assessments are not submitted, an AF (Absent Fail) grade will be awarded.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Please advise the Unit Coordinator if you are unable to attend two or more tutorials

Special consideration

If you experience short-term circumstances beyond your control, such as illness, injury or misadventure or if you have essential commitments which impact your preparation or performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic honesty, academic dishonesty, and the resources available to all students.

The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic dishonesty or plagiarism seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of dishonesty, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to evidence-based health care	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Gathering evidence	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	The PICO framework	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Skills for critical appraisal	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Constructing a PICO question	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	Experimental and observational research	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Database search strategies	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Diagnosis and prognosis research	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Concepts in risk of bias appraisal	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Understanding statistics	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Tools for critical appraisal	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Systematic reviews	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Introduction to an annotated bibliography	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Qualitative research	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Interpreting and applying research findings	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Appraising online health information	Online class (3 hr)
Week 10	User involvement in evidence-based health care	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Shared decision-making and patient decision aids	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	Clinical guidelines and clinical reasoning	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Dissemination and impact	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	Implementing evidence	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Designing implementation programs	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	Unit synthesis and review	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Revision	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

This unit will be delivered fully online in Semester 2 2021.

Lecture materials will be uploaded to Canvas for online learning in your own time.

One-hour tutorials will take place via Zoom on Tuesdays at 11am and 12pm, beginning in Week 2. Students are required to attend one tutorial each week. Please inform the Unit Coordinator if there are two or more tutorials that you are unable to attend.

Detailed information on attendance and class requirements will be available on Canvas.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All textbooks and readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University’s graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand that health-related decision-making should be based on scientific evidence
LO2. define a clinical question using the patient, intervention, comparison, outcome (PICO) model
LO3. search for relevant scientific publications to answer a health-related question
LO4. evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different study designs in the context of diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and risk
LO5. assess the appropriate use and interpretation of descriptive and inferential statistics and reliability and validity
LO6. critically appraise scientific reviews in relation to the review question, selection criteria, study validity, conclusion and applicability to a health care question
LO7. conduct a critical appraisal of available evidence for a particular health issue

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Closing the loop

No changes have been made to the unit in response to student feedback since the unit was last offered

Additional information

Student Administration Manual on the Faculty of Health Sciences

Key dates
Key dates through the academic year, including teaching periods, census, payment deadlines and exams.
Student administration
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Expectations of student conduct
Code of Conduct for Students, Conditions of Enrollment, University Privacy Statement, Academic Integrity
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Academic appeals process, special consideration, rules and guidelines, advice and support
Learning and teaching policy
Policy register, policy search
Financial support
Scholarships, interest free loans, bursaries, money management
Study resources
Learning Centre, faculty and school programs, Library, online resources
Health and support
Student Centre, counselling & psychological services, University Health Service, general health and wellbeing

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.