Units / PGC5101
PGC5101 · Evidence based practice
2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 5Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
This unit will provide you with theoretical information on evidence-based practice (EBP) as well as the skills to incorporate evidence-based medicine into your clinical practice. The unit follows an established framework for application of EBP in practice: Ask, Acquire, Appraise/Assess, Apply, Evaluate. Skill development under this framework will include: formulation of clinical questions, searching the literature for best evidence, evaluating the evidence, and applying the evidence in patient care.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Parkville | First semester | Teaching is all online (ONLINE) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Formulating a clinical question using PICO format | Written | 10% | — |
| 2 | Formulating and documenting a literature search | Written | 20% | Competency |
| 3 | Evidence summary - answer to a clinical question | Written | 30% | Competency |
| 4 | Oral presentation of a critical appraisal | Presentation | 25% | Competency |
| 5 | Engagement in module discussions | Demonstration | 15% | — |
This unit contains one or more competency hurdle assessment tasks that you must successfully complete to be able to pass the unit. You have one attempt, plus an additional assessment capped at 50% of the available marks for the task, to demonstrate your competency in the competency hurdle assessment task. If you fail to meet the hurdle requirement, you will receive a fail grade for the unit regardless of the total marks you achieve.
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- Develop clinical questions which can be answered using literature evidence.
- Prepare and execute an appropriate search strategy (of relevant electronic databases and resources) to find evidence to answer clinical questions.
- Evaluate the validity and relevance of literature evidence when answering clinical questions.
- Interpret and synthesise the evidence to provide an answer to the clinical question posed.
- Effectively communicate evidence based findings to peers and relevant health professionals to support clinical decisions.
- Demonstrate attributes of a life-long learner by reflecting on gaps in knowledge and skills relating to the practice of EBP.
Workload
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled online learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average 10-12 hours of learning activities per week, including teacher directed learning, independent study and reading time, participation in online discussions, research and preparation for assignments. You are required to commit to: • 4 x 1 hour online, real-time (Zoom) workshops
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Workshops | 4 hours |
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