Now in its fourth edition, Medical Statistics at a Glance is a concise and accessible introduction to this complex subject. It provides clear instruction on how to apply commonly used statistical procedures in an easy-to-read, comprehensive and relevant volume. This new edition continues to be the ideal introductory manual and reference guide to medical statistics, an invaluable companion for statistics lectures and a very useful revision aid. This new edition of Medical Statistics at a Glance: Offers guidance on the practical application of statistical methods in conducting research and presenting results Explains the underlying concepts of medical statistics and presents the key facts without being unduly mathematical Contains succinct self-contained chapters, each with one or more examples, many of them new, to illustrate the use of the methodology described in the chapter. Now provides templates for critical appraisal, checklists for the reporting of randomized controlled trials and observational studies and references to the EQUATOR guidelines for the presentation of study results for many other types of study Includes extensive cross-referencing, flowcharts to aid the choice of appropriate tests, learning objectives for each chapter, a glossary of terms and a glossary of annotated full computer output relevant to the examples in the text Provides cross-referencing to the multiple choice and structured questions in the companion Medical Statistics at a Glance Workbook Medical Statistics at a Glance is a must-have text for undergraduate and post-graduate medical students, medical researchers and biomedical and pharmaceutical professionals.
This comprehensive workbook contains a variety of self-assessment methods that allow readers to test their statistical knowledge, put it into practice, and apply it in a medical context, while also providing guidance when critically appraising published literature. It is designed to support the best-selling third edition of Medical Statistics at a Glance, to which it is fully cross-referenced, but may be used independently of it. Ideal for medical students, junior doctors, researchers and anyone working in the biomedical and pharmaceutical disciplines who wants to feel more confident in basic medical statistics, the title includes: Over 80 MCQs, each testing knowledge of a single statistical concept or aspect of study interpretation 29 structured questions to explore in greater depth several statistical techniques or principles, including the choice of appropriate statistical analyses and the interpretation of study findings Templates for the appraisal of clinical trials and observational studies, plus full appraisals of two published papers to demonstrate the use of these templates in practice Detailed step-by-step analyses of two substantial data sets (also available at www.medstatsaag.com) to demonstrate the application of statistical procedures to real-life research Medical Statistics at a Glance Workbook is the ideal resource to test statistical knowledge and improve analytical and interpretational skills. Additional resources are available at www.medstatsaag.com, including: Excel datasets to accompany the data analysis section Downloadable PDFs of two templates for critical appraisal Links to online further reading Supplementary MCQs
In line with the other books in the at a Glance series, Medical Statistics at a Glance leads the reader through a number of self-contained topics, each covering a different aspect of medical statistics. The majority of these use the standard 'At a Glance' format of two pages per topic. The authors have provided a basic introduction to the underlying concepts of medical statistics and a guide to the most commonly used statistical procedures. Topics describing a statistical technique are accompanied by a worked example, using real data, illustrating its use. Where possible, the same data set has been used in more than one topic to reflect the reality of data analysis. Detailed and complex hand calculations have been avoided with a concentration on the interpretation of computer data analysis. Medical Statistics at a Glance is versatile in its use as an explanation, a revision summary and a long-term source of reference. Worked examples to accompany each topic. Emphasis on computer analysis of data rather than hand calculations. Supported by a website at http://www.medstatsaag.com/ - this site contains useful self-assessment questions to aid student learning.
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.
Medical Statistics at a Glance is a concise and accessible introduction and revision aid for this complex subject. The self-contained chapters explain the underlying concepts of medical statistics and provide a guide to the most commonly used statistical procedures. This new edition of Medical Statistics at a Glance: Presents key facts accompanied by clear and informative tables and diagrams Focuses on illustrative examples which show statistics in action, with an emphasis on the interpretation of computer data analysis rather than complex hand calculations Includes extensive cross-referencing, a comprehensive glossary of terms and flow-charts to make it easier to choose appropriate tests Now provides the learning objectives for each chapter Includes a new chapter on Developing Prognostic Scores Includes new or expanded material on study management, multi-centre studies, sequential trials, bias and different methods to remove confounding in observational studies, multiple comparisons, ROC curves and checking assumptions in a logistic regression analysis The companion website at www.medstatsaag.com contains supplementary material including an extensive reference list and multiple choice questions (MCQs) with interactive answers for self-assessment. Medical Statistics at a Glance will appeal to all medical students, junior doctors and researchers in biomedical and pharmaceutical disciplines. Reviews of the previous editions "The more familiar I have become with this book, the more I appreciate the clear presentation and unthreatening prose. It is now a valuable companion to my formal statistics course." –International Journal of Epidemiology "I heartily recommend it, especially to first years, but it's equally appropriate for an intercalated BSc or Postgraduate research. If statistics give you headaches - buy it. If statistics are all you think about - buy it." –GKT Gazette "...I unreservedly recommend this book to all medical students, especially those that dislike reading reams of text. This is one book that will not sit on your shelf collecting dust once you have graduated and will also function as a reference book." –4th Year Medical Student, Barts and the London Chronicle, Spring 2003
Health at a Glance provides a comprehensive set of indicators on population health and health system performance across OECD members and key emerging economies. This edition has a special focus on the health impact of COVID-19 in OECD countries, including deaths and illness caused by the virus, adverse effects on access and quality of care, and the growing burden of mental ill-health.
Health at a Glance compares key indicators for population health and health system performance across OECD members, candidate and partner countries. It highlights how countries differ in terms of the health status and health-seeking behaviour of their citizens; access to and quality of health care; and the resources available for health. Analysis is based on the latest comparable data across 80 indicators, with data coming from official national statistics, unless otherwise stated.
This book presents the most recent comparable data on the performance of health systems in OECD and certain partner countries. It includes a dashboard of health indicators, a special focus chapter on the pharmaceutical sector, and indicators on health workforce migration and health care quality.
About Stats.con - How we've been fooled by statistics-based research in medicine: Statistics-based research is the method by which the causes of disease and the effectiveness of new treatments are investigated. Epidemiological studies and large-scale randomised controlled trials dominate medical research. Judged by the number of papers published each year, this type of research would appear to be a success. Yet it s a triumph of appearance over substance. We ve been cajoled into believing that great advances in medicine have occurred when, in fact, this isn t the case. Large RCTs are placed at the summit of the hierarchy of evidence and are claimed to be the most reliable means of establishing causal relationships in medical research. They are highly complex structures designed to identify small differences in outcome between the active treatment group and controls. But how do we know that the observed difference is caused by the drug? Proponents of RCTs assert that the method excludes alternative explanations namely, the unequal distribution of other causal factors, bias in the assessment of the outcome and chance. In other words, they believe that these studies have internal validity. The primary thesis of stats.con is that the grounds for causal inference in statistics-based research are lacking. Firstly, the components of the RCT including randomisation, allocation concealment, double-blind administration of treatment, the handling of withdrawals and drop-outs, and the statistical tests don t guarantee that the conditions for internal validity have been satisfied. Secondly, the frequentist approach to statistics, which continues to be used in almost all medical research studies despite being subjected to serious criticisms in recent years, is unsound. Thirdly, and most importantly, the inference from a small difference in outcome to the presence of a causal relationship is highly questionable. Given these arguments, it s of some importance to note that neither the results of individual RCTs nor the statistical method in general can be tested independently. This is an inevitable consequence of the subject matter of this type of research which involves heterogeneous samples with unknown mixtures of constituents. The inability to test the results of statistics-based research is of particular concern as fraud is more common than hitherto supposed in medical research. But even if we were to accept the validity of causal inference in this situation and to dismiss concerns about independent testing, we would still face the unpalatable truth that the product of statistics-based research is of little value. The reliability of any generalisation from the results of an individual study to the wider population of patients that is, the external validity is always open to question. We can never know whether the results of a RCT apply to either a particular patient or to a specified group. This is an enormous disadvantage in medicine. But that s not all. The size of the treatment effect in large-scale studies is very small. Indeed, it s so small that the true size of the effect is deliberately hidden by researchers and others with a vested interest in the outcome of the studies. When we look closely, the product of these studies is of dubious worth and doubtful meaning. The reasons for the widespread acceptance of statistics-based research are to be found in the events of the past fifty years or more. History shows how the advocates have used every means at their disposal to spread a flawed methodology and how their views have infiltrated the thinking of generations of researchers, practicing physicians and others involved in the care of patients. But this doesn t apply only to medical research. Many other academic disciplines use similar methods. If, as is argued in stats.con, the case against statistics-based research is made, then the implications extend far beyond the field of medicine.
First Prize in Public health in the 2017 BMA Medical Book Awards Public Health and Epidemiology at a Glance is a highly visual introduction to the key concepts and major themes of population health. With comprehensive coverage of all the core topics covered at medical school, it helps students understand the determinants of health and their study, from personal lifestyle choices and behaviour, to environmental, social and economic factors. This fully updated new edition features: • More coverage of audit and quality improvement techniques • Brand new sections on maternal and child health, and health of older people • New chapters on social determinants of health and guideline development • Expanded self-assessment material This accessible guide is an invaluable resource for medical and healthcare students, junior doctors, and those preparing for a career in epidemiology and public health
