Palliative care research and practice - 0990068

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  • Department: Hull York Medical School
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2025-26

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2025-26

Module aims

This module will equip health and social care professionals, policy makers and postgraduate researchers with transferable skills to enable them to understand the full range of research methods as applied to palliative care. It will also enable them to develop the skills to critically appraise palliative care research, and to begin to understand how to design and deliver high quality palliative care research.

Module learning outcomes

Upon successfully completing the module, students will be able to:

  1. Critically appraise the strengths and limitations of different forms of evidence used in research about palliative care and long-term conditions

  1. Be able to present and critically reflect on evidence regarding palliative care and long-term conditions using structured, coherent arguments

  1. Understand how to design and conduct research in palliative care and long-term conditions that makes a positive impact for patients, carers, workforce and policy makers

  1. Understand how research methods are best adapted and applied for the effective care for those with palliative care needs and among those with long-term conditions

  1. Be able to design processes for, and confidently engage with, patients & the public throughout the research development, delivery and dissemination process

Module content

Sessions:

1. Introduction to the module, with overview of research methods – as applied to palliative care and long-term conditions

2. Identification of evidence and critical appraisal’ of evidence

3.Scientific rigour in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research in palliative care and long-term conditions ((including appreciation of development of critical appraisal skills)

4. Palliative care and long-term condition populations – vulnerability, inclusion, and other ethical considerations, including considerations for informal family carers

5. Quantitative methods in palliative and long-term conditions research

6. PPI and stakeholder engagement in research concerning palliative care and long-term conditions

7.Community and societal perspectives within research and practice in palliative care and long-term conditions including inequities

8. Small group tutorials

9. Reading weeks

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

None

Module feedback

Feedback will be provided to students during online facilitated sessions and one-to-one tutorials. Written feedback on summative and formative assessments will be provided

Indicative reading

Health and Social Care Research Methods in Context: Applying Research to Practice, 2021.

Liz Tilly (Editor), Routledge.

Selected chapters in Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine. By: Nathan I. Cherny (Editor), Marie T. Fallon (Editor), Stein Kaasa (Editor), Russell K. Portenoy (Editor), David C. Currow (Editor), 6th edition. Published: 23rd September 2021 ISBN: 9780198821328

The EQUATOR Network https://www.equator-network.org/

EVANS, C. J., HARDING, R., HIGGINSON, I. J. & MORECARE 2013. 'Best practice' in developing and evaluating palliative and end-of-life care services: a meta-synthesis of research methods for the MORECare project. Palliat Med, 27, 885-98.

GYSELS, M., EVANS, C. J., LEWIS, P., SPECK, P., BENALIA, H., PRESTON, N. J., GRANDE, G. E., SHORT, V., OWEN-JONES, E., TODD, C. J. & HIGGINSON, I. J. 2013. MORECare research methods guidance development: recommendations for ethical issues in palliative and end-of-life care research. Palliat Med, 27, 908-17.