Teaching code

4S000436

Teacher

Claudio Eccher

Credits

1

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

INF/01 - INFORMATICS

Period

LMSIO VR - 1° ANNO 2° SEM. dal Apr 15, 2021 al Jun 26, 2021.

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

To show the organization of the course that includes this module, follow this link:  Course organization

Learning outcomes

The objective of the course is to provide basic knowledge about the design and implementation fo clinical research studies requiring the collection and elaboration of clinical data deeply exploiting the functions offered by a data processing tool like a spreadsheet. the most part of the course is dedicated to learning the advanced use of the functions provided by a spreadsheet for managing and processing the data in the context of research studies (in particular MS Excel). At the end of the course the student should be able to acquire the data of a study in Excel, understand the different types of data and hot to manage them, process the raw data to infer new information, represent and visualise the information in the most effective way for the comprehension of the results.

Program

Definition of data and information
Definition of the model for a clinical study: entities, attributes and data that represent them
Relational (tabular) representation of the reality
Tools for data management: Spreadsheet and Database Management Systems
Coding of quantitative and qualitative observations, nominal and ordinal
Spreadsheets (MS Excel)
Organisation of the spreadsheet: tabular structure
Acquisition and validation of data, tools for automatic cell filling, filter and ordering
Content of cells: number and text format, formulas
Formulas: structure, format, format of the arguments, relative and absolute references
Predefined functions: logical, mathematical, statistical, temporal, and string manipulation
Representation of information: charts, types of charts, correct use of charts
Histograms and distribution functions
Processing of qualitative variables: pivot tables, and bar charts, contingency tables, comparison of qualitative variables
Processing of quantitative variables with emphasis on some statistics: normal distribution, mean, median, standard deviation, mode, parametric comparison test (t-test)
Linear regression and correlation
During the entire course, a real clinical study as case study for providing examples of the arguments explained in the lessons

Examination Methods

Oral exam, comprehending questions about the theory explained in the course and practical examples of using Excel (or equivalent spreadsheet) on various data collections. The main reference for the arguments of the exam will be the slides distributed during the course.