Advanced Pharmacy Practice Research Methods

The aim of this advanced training course is to provide students with the necessary skills for health research and practical pharmacy. On completion of the course, students will be able to: identify a conceptual theoretical framework for a research study, identifying the hypotheses established and the expected results; identify the most appropriate study designs for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions in practical pharmacy, including those focused on the responsible use of medication; know how to recognize state of the art in a given area of scientific knowledge by conducting a literature review and its critical evaluation; use primary and secondary data sources, extract data and analyze it, recognizing the limitations of each; understand the results reported by people and recognize the questionnaires and other tools for collecting the information needed to assess the various health outcomes, including the need to carry out validation and cultural adaptation work; communicate and disseminate research results through different platforms and to different target audiences.

Coordination:

Afonso Miguel das Neves Cavaco, Professor Associado com Agregação da Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa. 

Filipa da Palma Carlos Alves da Costa Azevedo e Silva, Professora Auxiliar da Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de Lisboa. 

PhD students and researchers in the fields of health sciences, medicine, nursing, and socio-pharmacy.

This course will run from February 12, 2024, to March 6, 2024, and has 22.5 hours of training.

Total of ECTS: 6 ECTS.

The training hours are distributed as follows:

• Theoretical Hours: 18.5 hours
• Practical hours: 6h
• Tutorial Hours: 4 hours

The course will take place over 12 days (Monday to Wednesday), between 5:30 pm and 9:30 pm – distance learning (e-learning).

PROGRAM

The course will cover the core aspects of health research, including the methodological options for evaluating the effectiveness of health technologies and the services provided, including medication optimization. Exploratory, observational, experimental, and quasi-experimental studies will be covered. The main data sources will include observation, patient surveys, interviews, and clinical records. Techniques for analyzing qualitative and quantitative data will be summarized and applied through practical activities. The principles and methodologies for literature review (including systematic review and meta-analysis) and critical analysis will be presented. All presentations and recommended bibliography will be available for consultation two weeks in advance, allowing for preparation of the topic, with contact time being maximized in discussing the practical applicability of the concepts to the projects in progress and carrying out exercises to consolidate knowledge. The course is structured into seven modules and will be taught in English, with many speakers coming from other higher education and scientific research institutions.

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Other Participating Institutions:

Lecturers from various institutions will participate as guests for specific topics ( Escola Superior de Enfermagem da Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto, Egas Moniz School of Health and Science, Epidemiology Unit, Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil EPE, University of Copenhagen, Trinity College, Ireland, College of Pharmacy, Qatar University and University of Sydney ).

Teaching Methodology: The main teaching methodology will be lectures by internationally renowned experts. These will last a maximum of 40 minutes, with 20 minutes reserved for participatory discussion and/or practical application of the concepts introduced. Depending on the topic, the practical application may focus on discussing concepts, refining research questions, database research, coding exercises (e.g., interview extracts) or carrying out statistical tests, critical analysis of abstracts to be submitted to conferences, and briefing-debriefing activities.

During the course, research skills in health services will be worked on, including critical analysis of the literature, formulation of research questions and anticipation of limitations, discussion of methodological options, skills for collecting and analyzing information, as well as options for communicating research results.

Assessment is based on active participation in seminars and workshops. The final workshop on stem cell-based therapeutic and/or diagnostic product concepts is an interactive group forum where participants can explain and discuss the technology and application of two biotechnology companies with stem cell-based concepts.

Applications and Registration:

1st phase: November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023

2nd phase: December 15, 2023 – January 15, 2023

Course start and end date: February 12, 2024 – March 06, 2024

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Access Qualifications:

Integrated Master’s Degree in Health or equivalent

Selection and seriation criteria:

Final degree average, specialty area of the doctorate to which you are applying (for doctoral candidates), current research area (for researchers)

• Minimum number of students to function: 8
• Maximum number of trainees to run: 30

Enrolment fee:

• 250€ for PhD students,
• 500 for or general enrollment.

Note: FFUL doctoral students who wish to take the course as part of their 1st year curricular component are exempt from paying the registration fee.

School Insurance: 2.03€

By application of paragraph e) of point 2 of Article 42 of the University of Lisbon’s Statutes, and taking into account the terms for the attribution of PRR funding under the “Impulso Adultos” program, the Organic Unit responsible for the coordination of each course may award academic performance prizes.

Access to the FenixEdu Platform:

• If you have never been a student at FFULisboa you must pre-register on the FenixEdu Platform.
• If you are a former student of FFULisboa and have already had an account campus@ulisboa or @edu.ulisboa.pt you should access the FenixEdu Platform and authenticate yourself with your account data. If you have lost access to your account, you can recover your password in the ULisboa users area.
• If you are a former student of FFULisboa and have never had an account campus@ulisboa or @edu.ulisboa.pt you must send an email to posgraduados@ff.ulisboa.pt indicating your full name and ID document number.

Access the FenixEdu Platform.

• On the tab “Candidate”, choose the type of application: “Advanced Training Courses – 2023/2024”, select the course “AAdvanced Pharmacy Practice Research Methods”.
• Fill out the online form and attach all documents in digital format.
• Select the “Submit” option.

For information regarding the organization of the course, please contact the Academic Services: doutoramentos@ff.ulisboa.pt

For scientific information regarding the teaching of the course, please contact the Course Coordination.