Explains the purpose of statistical methods in medical studies & analyzes the statistical techniques used by clinical investigators, with special emphasis on studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Clarifies fundamental concepts of statistical design & analysis & facilitates the understanding of research results.
Now in its Fourth Edition, An Introduction to Medical Statistics continues to be a 'must-have' textbook for anyone who needs a clear logical guide to the subject. Written in an easy-to-understand style and packed with real life examples, the text clearly explains the statistical principles used in the medical literature. Taking readers through the common statistical methods seen in published research and guidelines, the text focuses on how to interpret and analyse statistics for clinical practice. Using extracts from real studies, the author illustrates how data can be employed correctly and incorrectly in medical research helping readers to evaluate the statistics they encounter and appropriately implement findings in clinical practice. End of chapter exercises, case studies and multiple choice questions help readers to apply their learning and develop their own interpretative skills. This thoroughly revised edition includes new chapters on meta-analysis, missing data, and survival analysis.
The majority of medical research involves quantitative methods and so it is essential to be able to understand and interpret statistics. This book shows readers how to develop the skills required to critically appraise research evidence effectively, and how to conduct research and communicate their findings.
In 1969 the first edition of this book introduced the concepts of statistics and their medical application to readers with no formal training in this area. While retaining this basic aim, the authors have expanded the coverage in each subsequent edition to keep pace with the increasing use and sophistication of statistics in medical research. This fifth edition has undergone major restructuring, with some sections completely rewritten; it is now more logically organized and more user friendly (with the addition of 'summary boxes' throughout the text). It incorporates new statistical techniques and approaches that have made an appearance since the last edition. In addition, some chapters or chapter headings are specifically marked to signify material that is more difficult than the material in which it is embedded - such sections or chapters can be omitted at first reading. Several new chapters have been added . "Associations: Chance, Confounded and Causal?" explains without any formulae the concepts underlying confounding, confidence intervals and p values, and the interpretation of associations observed in research investigations. Another new chapter considers sample size calculations in some detail and provides, in addition to the relevant formulae, useful tables that should give the researcher an indication of the order of magnitude of the number of subjects he or she might require in different situations.
Practical Statistics for Medical Research is a problem-based text for medical researchers, medical students, and others in the medical arena who need to use statistics but have no specialized mathematics background. The author draws on twenty years of experience as a consulting medical statistician to provide clear explanations to key statistical concepts, with a firm emphasis on practical aspects of designing and analyzing medical research. Using real data and including dozens of interesting data sets, this bestselling text gives special attention to the presentation and interpretation of results and the many real problems that arise in medical research.
This long awaited second edition of this bestseller continues toprovide a comprehensive, user friendly, down-to-earth guide toelementary statistics. The book presents a detailed account ofthe most important procedures for the analysis of data, from thecalculation of simple proportions, to a variety of statisticaltests, and the use of regression models for modeling of clinicaloutcomes. The level of mathematics is kept to a minimum to make thematerial easily accessible to the novice, and a multitude ofillustrative cases are included in every chapter, drawn from thecurrent research literature. The new edition has beencompletely revised and updated and includes new chapters on basicquantitative methods, measuring survival, measurement scales,diagnostic testing, bayesian methods, meta-analysis and systematicreviews. "... After years of trying and failing, this is the only book onstatistics that i have managed to read and understand" - NaveedKirmani, Surgical Registrar, South London Healthcare HHS Trust,UK
This is an open access book. The book provides an overview of the state of research in developing countries – Africa, Latin America, and Asia (especially India) and why research and publications are important in these regions. It addresses budding but struggling academics in low and middle-income countries. It is written mainly by senior colleagues who have experienced and recognized the challenges with design, documentation, and publication of health research in the developing world. The book includes short chapters providing insight into planning research at the undergraduate or postgraduate level, issues related to research ethics, and conduct of clinical trials. It also serves as a guide towards establishing a research question and research methodology. It covers important concepts such as writing a paper, the submission process, dealing with rejection and revisions, and covers additional topics such as planning lectures and presentations. The book will be useful for graduates, postgraduates, teachers as well as physicians and practitioners all over the developing world who are interested in academic medicine and wish to do medical research.
Holistic approach to understanding medical statistics This hands-on guide is much more than a basic medical statistics introduction. It equips you with the statistical tools required for evidence-based clinical research. Each chapter provides a clear step-by-step guide to each statistical test with practical instructions on how to generate and interpret the numbers, and present the results as scientific tables or graphs. Showing you how to: analyse data with the help of data set examples (Click here to download datasets) select the correct statistics and report results for publication or presentation understand and critically appraise results reported in the literature Each statistical test is linked to the research question and the type of study design used. There are also checklists for critically appraising the literature and web links to useful internet sites. Clear and concise explanations, combined with plenty of examples and tabulated explanations are based on the authors’ popular medical statistics courses. Critical appraisal guidelines at the end of each chapter help the reader evaluate the statistical data in their particular contexts.
Learn biostatistics the easy way. This outstanding resource presents the key concepts you need to understand biostatistics and how to apply them in clinical medicine. Easy-to-understand examples and analogies explain complex concepts, and practical applications provide you with real tools for use in daily practice. The book's organization is intuitive, so that concepts build upon one another, maximizing understanding. This book will give you the confidence to appraise the existing literature - and the vocabulary you need to discuss it. - Uses an easy-to-understand presentation and writing style to make the material easily accessible. - Places its emphasis on concepts, not formulas, for more clinical-based guidance. - Focuses on practical applications of biostatistics to medical practice to give you a better understanding of how and why research is conducted. - Presents concise but comprehensive coverage to create easily accessible yet complete information. - Provides examples, analogies, and memorization tips to make the material easier to absorb.