Medicine and Surgery

This course is divided into two modules. The first module (24 hour-long lectures) introduces the basics of Evidence-based Medicine [EBM] and ways of formulating clinical questions. In the second module (12 hour-long lectures) the focus is on strategies to apply to find bibliographical sources availing oneself of specialised databases, in particular PubMed. The students will learn how to use the most typical phraseologies with a view to creating an electronic lexical notebook and an EBM corpus.

In order to obtain formal recognition of their English-Language competence and performance in English Language, the students need to have passed the Pre-clinical Medical-Scientific Methodology exam. A knowledge of the rudiments of statistics is also recommended.

Attendance for the course is mandatory.

Assessment consists of an end-of-course test which the students will upload to the e-learning platform. Students must demonstrate their ability to critically appraise a research article, identifying, for example, the clinical question to which the study intends to respond, or identifying possible risks of bias. The students are also required to create a bibliography of their own on PubMed starting from a chosen topic. To pass this test the students must show they - have acquired the ability to provide a good critical appraisal of a research article; - know how to create a research path correctly and in a creative way starting from a chosen topic; - are capable of choosing and using words and phrases appropriate to their work; - know how to use the PubMed search engine with confidence and creativity. If the end-of-course test does not achieve the results foreseen, the students can repeat the test in the light of the teacher's indications during one of the exam sessions foreseen by the calendar (summer, autumn, winter).

Face-to-face lectures. Students will perform tasks related to finding scientific evidence..