Prerequisite
HAD5301H – Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research
HAD5307H – Introduction to Applied Biostatistics (may be taken concurrently)
Description
This course will provide an introduction to the principles and applications of decision sciences as they relate to clinical decision-making. The major themes will be a method of evaluating diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in order to optimize individualized patient care and inform policy decision, including those in which a fixed amount of resources are an important consideration. The basic building blocks of decision analysis (Bayes theorem, test and test-treatment thresholds, tree building, utility measurement, Markov processes and cost-effectiveness) will be reviewed and synthesised. Students will use decision analysis software to build and test their own decision analyses.
Objectives
- To learn the principles of decision analyis
- To learn how to use decision analysis software
- To perfom a decision analysis by developing a model, gathering the relevant data, and perfoming complete sensitivity analyses
- To learn how to present a decision analysis orally and in writing
Instructor
Evaluation
- Mid-term assignment
- 20%
- Oral presentation
- 40%
- Written Paper
- 40%