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2nd UK Clinical Trials Methodology Conference: Methodology Matters

18-19 November 2013-Edinburgh

Registration now open: http://www.methodologyconference2013.org.uk/

 

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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