Introduction to Statistics in Clinical Research

Upskill in statistics to advance clinical trial and medical research

Whatever role you play in clinical research, having a foundation in statistics is crucial for designing robust studies, analysing data, and interpreting results effectively.

On this three-week online course from the University of Birmingham, arm yourself with statistics skills directly applicable to clinical trials. You’ll gain the confidence to use what you’ve learned to enhance your team’s design, analysis, and interpretation processes.

Get an introduction to statistics to advance clinical trial research

Start with an overview of randomised controlled trials, the gold standard in evaluating healthcare interventions.

Next, you’ll learn how statistics aids in collecting and summarising trial data as you equip yourself with essential concepts like normal distribution and measures of association.

Explore data sampling and statistical inference concepts, including confidence interval and hypothesis testing

Deepen your understanding of statistics in clinical trials by exploring sampling variation and its impact on confidence intervals, p-values in hypothesis testing, and the basics of statistical tests and regression models.

You’ll also examine non-parametric methods and calculate sample sizes. This will enhance your ability to design, analyse, and interpret clinical trials with greater precision.

Utilise statistical analysis techniques to report clinical trials with precision

Towards the end of this course, you’ll apply advanced statistical concepts to robust trial reporting. Explore time-to-event data, strategies for handling missing data and non-compliance, and methods for subgroup analyses and Bayesian approaches.

You’ll also learn the importance of transparent reporting through statistical analysis plans (SAPs) and trial reports to enhance reproducibility and impact.

This introductory course is for anyone already working within clinical research who wants to enhance their basic statistical skills, such as aspiring chief investigators, research nurses, trial co-ordinators, trial managers, data managers, quality assurance team members, and trial administrators. No prior knowledge is needed to join.

Learners need no specific software, hardware or other resources to complete this course.

This introductory course is for anyone already working within clinical research who wants to enhance their basic statistical skills, such as aspiring chief investigators, research nurses, trial co-ordinators, trial managers, data managers, quality assurance team members, and trial administrators. No prior knowledge is needed to join.

• Identify the key statistical concepts and methods used within clinical trials and other studies conducted in healthcare research
• Summarise data of different data types
• Identify appropriate measures of treatment effect
• Interpret the findings of clinical trials published in the medical literature, including estimates of effect, confidence intervals and P-values
• Critique published analyses of clinical trials, identifying common problems
• Report statistical methods and results appropriately and transparently
• Contribute more confidently to a clinical trial team
• Explain the crucial role that statistics play in a clinical trial, in its design, conduct, analysis, and reporting