AO's Principles of Clinical Research course: now fully online and available any time
Helping new residents and staff fill gaps in their research skills adds to faculty members’ already-long to-do lists—and that’s where the AO PEER Online Course—Principles of Clinical Research can add real value.
As part of the AO Program for Education and Excellence in Research (AO PEER), this self-directed course offers participants the skills needed to carry out clinical research at the highest level and maximize their chances of getting work published and recognized by the research community.
Participants are guided—at their own pace—through eight modules, all designed by distinguished AO surgeon researchers who teach the steps to turning the research process into a constructive journey rather than an obstacle course.
“AO PEER is an excellent platform for teaching the principles of clinical research. It provides a very interesting online program that consists of well-structured online learning modules covering the hot areas of clinical research,” said Osama Farouk, MD, a professor of orthopedic surgery and chief of the orthopedic trauma unit at Assiut University Hospitals in Egypt, as well as a member of the AO Innovation Translation Center (AO ITC) Science Advisory Committee. “I believe that the AO PEER Online Course—Principles of Clinical Research is a perfect package for surgeons. This interactive package provides the basic knowledge and skills to conduct high-quality clinical research.”
Course participant Max Müller expects the course to serve as a stepping stone in his career.
“This course helped me understand the basics of clinical research and will help me further my research career;” he explained. “The knowledge about the fundamentals of clinical research conveyed through the well-thought-out modules is of great value. The self-directed module fits well into an individual time schedule.”
Participants have a year to complete the 20-hour, continuing medical education (CME) accredited course—from anywhere and at any time. The learning objectives are:
- Explain the importance of research and evidence-based medicine
- Apply basic principles of literature search and critical appraisal
- Follow good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines and ethical requirements (informed consent)
- Identify clinical problems, formulate research questions, and select study designs
- Collaborate with a statistician to perform sample size calculations and basic statistical analyses
- Describe principles of medical writing
- Utilize available research environment, resources, and tools
The course is aimed at health care professionals looking to get started in research and to contribute to the medical community. It offers critical skills that will serve them well—in the lab, when drafting a research paper, and particularly in in their work as surgeons. Research is at the very center of advancing patient care, and this course provides an opportunity to develop these skills and enhance research networks for regions.
For single enrollments, participants can register online here. Special pricing is available for AO members. For multiple enrollments and group rates for five or more participants, please contact aopeer@aofoundation.org.