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2nd UK Clinical Trials Methodology Conference: Methodology
Matters
18-19 November 2013-Edinburgh
Workshops and Events
The HTMR Network sponsors a number of workshops. Click on the
links below to learn more about our upcoming workshops.
Dates for 2013
Qualitative Research in Randomised Trials- Bristol
18 June 2013- NB new date confirmed
The ConDuCT Hub in conjunction with the University of Bristol is
running a one day course "Qualitative Research in Randomised
Trials" on 18 June 2013. For further information and
details of how to register please see the
website.
The course is intended for those who are interested in how
qualitative methods can enhance the design and conduct of a trial.
No prior experience of having undertaken qualitative research is
necessary, but participants should be aware that this course will
not teach them how to do qualitative research but to appreciate its
value within trials. More information on the content of the course
can be obtained from the link for booking above.
The aim of the course is to illustrate how qualitative methods
can be integrated at various stages of a randomised trial, from the
development and feasibility stages to the running of the main
trial, to enhance trial design and conduct. The course focuses on
the use of common and more novel qualitative methods within
challenging-to-conduct pragmatic trials, undertaken within a health
service context.
There are two free places reserved for each of the Hubs, but due
to the enormous popularity of the course last year it is necessary
for these to be booked before 16 November 2012.
Thereafter they will be given to other applicants. When booking
(see link above) it is essential to state clearly which Hub the
applicant is affiliated to - and no fee therefore needed.
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3rd meeting of the COMET initiative- Manchester
20- 21 June 2013
We are pleased to announce the 3rd meeting of the COMET
initiative (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials).
For more details see the flyer or the COMET
website.
Registration now open!
www.cometinitiative.org/meeting

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Value of Information Methods to Inform the Prioritisation
and Design of New Research Studies- Bristol
4 July 2013
Intended for: Research commissioners,
policy-makers, clinicians, trialists, statisticians, and health
economists
Overview:
The results from new research studies (e.g. RCTs) will inform
policy decisions about which treatments are used in the NHS, as
inputs to cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) appraised by the
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). These
CEAs, combine evidence from syntheses of RCT information on
treatment efficacy, information on natural history, additional
lifetime costs, and quality-adjusted life years gained. The
decision to adopt a new product, or not, is based on a
determination of its net benefit (monetarised health gain less
costs). At present there is a gap between the way decisions are
made about whether to adopt new treatments for use in the NHS, and
the way funding decisions are made about whether more research is
needed on these treatments to better inform adoption decisions. As
a result, resources may be wasted researching treatments that were
never likely to be cost-effective, or conversely by adopting
treatments which, if more evidence were collected, would not be
cost-effective. It is possible to calculate the probability that a
decision to adopt a treatment on the basis of current evidence
would turn out to be the wrong decision if more evidence was
collected, and how much resource waste and loss of quality of life
this is likely to represent. Value of Information (VOI) analyses
provide an objective method for informing the decision of which
studies to fund, and how best to design those studies. The aim of
this workshop is to give an introduction to the concepts behind the
methods, and illustrate the methods with recent case studies.
Pre-requisites: There are no pre-requisites.
However, to obtain the most from the workshop, applicants will
benefit from a basic understanding of meta-analysis and
cost-effectiveness analysis. Selected papers will be sent out in
advance as pre-workshop.
Please see flyer for further details and how to
register.
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Methods for Evaluating Medical Tests and Biomarkers (MEMTB)
Symposium 2013
15-16 July 2013
University of Birmingham and Midlands Hub for Trials Methodology
Research
An international symposium attracting researchers interested in
the development, evaluation or regulation of biomarkers, diagnostic
modalities or other medical tests. The symposium is to be hosted by
the Test & Biomarker Evaluation Research Group based at the
University of Birmingham.
Themes for the Symposium are:
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of test accuracy
Evaluating the impact of tests.
Industry, regulation and test development.
Translating research into practice.
Guidelines, evidence reports and technology assessments for
consideration by health care agencies.
Prognosis research.
Prediction, classification and clinical decision rules. ]
Personalised and stratified medicine.
Registration: To register for this event visit:
REGISTRATION
“Early Bird” registration commences October
28th.
Not-for-profit attendees: £300 per delegate.
Commercial organisations: £600 per delegate.
Poster presentations are invited. A0 poster display cases will
be made available – please advise me (a.p.good@bham.ac.uk) of how many
you require.
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