Statistics in Health Care Management: Assignment Week 1

Chapter 1

Introduction

Learning Objectives

• Define biostatistical applications and their

objectives

• Explain the limitations of biostatistical

analysis

• Compare and contrast a population and a

sample

• Explain the importance of random sampling

Learning Objectives

• Develop research questions and select

appropriate outcome variables to address

important public health problems

• Identify the general principles and explain the

role and importance of biostatostistical

analysis in medical, public health, and

biological research

What is Biostatistics?

• Application of statistical principles to medical,

public health and biological applications

– Collecting, summarizing, interpreting information

and making inferences that appropriately account

for uncertainty

What is Biostatistics?

POPULATION

(unknown information)

sample

Summarize sample

Make inferences about Population

Issues and Limitations

• Must clearly define research question

• Must choose appropriate study design (i.e., the

way in which data are collected)

• Must select a sufficiently large, representative

sample

• Must carefully collect and summarize data

Issues and Limitations

• Must quantify uncertainty

• Must appropriately account for relationships

among characteristics

• Must limit inferences to appropriate population

Important Questions

• H1N1 outbreak

• Risk factors for heart disease

• Drug safety and efficacy

• High risk health behaviors

• Genetic determinants of disease

• Risk factors for autism

• Impact of diet and exercise on health

• Impact of Gulf oil spill on health

Issues for Biostatisticians

• Children - Obesity, Immunizations, Asthma, Autism…..

• Adolescents – Alcohol & Tobacco Use, Depression,

STDs, Traffic Accidents….

• Adults – Cancer, CVD, Substance Abuse, HIV/AIDS,

Mental Health…

– What is #1 killer of men and women in US?

– What are the risk factors?

Types of Studies

• Laboratory studies

• Animal studies

• Clinical studies

– Observational studies

– Experimental trials

Issues for Biostatisticians

• Research question

• Study sample

• Sample size

• Analytic techniques

• Inferences – Cause/Effect

• Limitations

Research Teams

• Principal Investigator

• Biostatistician

• Co-Investigators

• Project Manager

• Statistical Programmers

• Research Assistants

Biostatistician’s Role on Team

• Study Design

– Research question

– Study Sample

– Sample size

– Enrollment/Follow-up strategies

– On-going monitoring

• Interim and Final Analysis

• Reporting of Results

Careers

• Pharmaceutical industry

• Government

• Academia

• Health insurance

Demand far exceeds supply of qualified biostatisticians today.

Training/Skills

• Mathematics background

• Biostatistics/Statistics

• Public Health/Biology

• Computer Skills

• Communication Skills

• Analytic Skills

• Organizational Skills

• Attention to Detail