EBMplay: Level 2 - Applied analytical skills in practice.

EBMplay level 2 is a workshop-based course which helps practitioners to practise using and applying the concepts from EBMtalks level 2 to  nurturing the skills and knowledge needed to build an evidence-based nutrition practice. The aim is to help practitioners "think like a researcher" so that they can understand the choices have influenced the design and analysis of the studies that are commonly read in clinical practice. This facilitates the development of critical appraisal skills needed to ensure carefully considered application of evidence to clinical recommendations. 

In the level 2 EBMtalks course, which runs alongside this workshop series in the calendar but is purchased separately, participants take a deeper look at specific study design features not introduced in the level 1 course, to build their appreciation of research nuance. Use of some of the tools and resources introduced in the lecture course eg. risk of bias, CASP, GRADE, CONSORT will be given practical illustration. Additionally, the statistical techniques will be practiced too. 

EBMplay is not a biostatistical course, though one key learning outcome is to develop confidence and familiarity with statistical techniques necessary to read research independently and critically.  All calculations will be simple to perform with a standard calculator (a free downloadable tool will be suggested) and free statistical software-based activities will also be demonstrated step-by-step so attendees can follow along. Edited forms of the workshop will be available in recordings but the entire workshops will not be available as recordings in order to encourage active participation without worrying about being viewed by those not in attendance. The  level 2 EBMplay and EBMtalks course will run concurrently as the concepts will be best appreciated through direct application and practical activities. It is advisable to attend both but not essential. 

Practitioners will practice through guided instruction and activities, how to calculate:

- Measures of effect, such as relative risk, absolute risk, odds ratio, interaction ratio, number needed to treat/harm. 

- Measures of the precision, such as confidence intervals, p-values and power.

- Sample sizes.

- Margins of non-inferiority and equivalence. 

- Statistical tests variations used for handling different types of data eg. continuous vs binary. 

- Basic introduction to correlation and regression. 

EBMplay level 2 will also take a look at meta-analysis techniques and tools and practice interpreting trickier types of meta-analyses eg. network analyses. The concepts introduced will be explored thoroughly in the level 3 course for those who want to understand these further. Meta-analyses are undoubtedly the most important type of research to get to grips with since they have one of the biggest influences on clinical decision-making.

Practitioners often suffer from imposter syndrome as it can take time develop research skills.  This level 2 course will not build expertise, but it will, especially alongside the EBMtalks series, help to cultivate independence and provide a solid grounding for the Level 3/4 courses which will develop more advanced skills for fluid engagement in the subject.  

Each workshop will last 3 hours for a total of 30 CPD points, subject to recognition by the professional body that practitioners are members of. The course of the course is £300. Attendance at all 10 sessions will be required for CPD certification, via video streaming service or subject to demand, live sessions at 10am. In the event that the workshops are pre-recorded only, a discussion group and/or live Q&A sessions will be provided to clarify understanding.  

The subjects we will cover each workshop include:

Lecture 1: Available from 15th October 2022

Practical application of quality assessment tools for research

Lecture 2: Available from 12th November 2022

Building foundations in statistics: how to calculate measures of effect and rules about their use.

Lecture 3: Available from 10th December 2022

Building foundations in statistics: an introduction to confidence interval, p-value and power calculation.

Lecture 4: Available from 14th January 2023

A deeper dive into sampling, recruitment and randomisation methods in research.

Lecture 5: Available from 11th February 2023

Sample-size estimation in controlled trials. Unique controlled trial designs and their appraisal. Missing data handling.

Lecture 6: Available from 11th March 2023

Sample-size estimation in observational studies. Unique variants of observational studies and their appraisal.

Lecture 7: Available from 22nd April 2023

An introduction to regression, correlation and analysis of variance. Relevance to research types and problems.

Lecture 8: Available from 20th May 2023

Making sense of genetic, prognostic, diagnostic and pharmacokinetic research. Calculating sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve.

Lecture 9: Available from June 17th 2023

Types of meta-analytic methods; their uses and limitations. Missing information management. Understanding network meta-analysis.

Lecture 10: Available from July 15th 2023

Use of GRADE in research implementation into practice. Critical considerations and communicating research effectively.

EBMplay slides, resources and video recordings will be included in the cost of the course, but video recordings will not be available as permanent downloadable resources. All of these will be subject to copyright and sharing of resources without explicit written consent, in part or in full, will result in non-refundable barring from remaining and future courses purchased.