Health Care Management

Biostatistics

What is Biostatistics?

The studies of biology and statistics combine to form biostatistics, which uses statistical

methods in order to provide analysis for biological study. This dual methodology can

be utilized in a wide variety of practical applications. It provides a framework for

understanding the outcomes of scientific experimentation in logical, concrete terms.

Keep reading to learn about the origins of this form of study and they ways in which it

is used in modern research.

Uses in Medical Research

Methods from this form of study are used significantly in medical research as a way of

obtaining, analyzing and interpreting data in order to reach conclusion that guide the

medical community. In fact, the role of biostatistics is quite crucial in the understanding

of a multitude of important health issues. The data provided through the lens of such

study is used to provide insights that determine if a treatment is effective, as well as to

isolate factors that are contributing to disease. These examples are just a few relevant

ways that statistic methods can guide biological study in medicine.

Uses in Epidemiology

Epidemiology is an umbrella term covering the wide range of public health matters.

The cause, progression and spread of disease are analyzed using biology and statistics.

This information gives researchers insight into such considerations as specific

symptoms, mortality rates and when outbreaks may occur. The development of

vaccines and other medical interventions are guided through such knowledge. No

longer is medical research merely observation-based. Much more can be accomplished

through the use of detailed statistical analysis and evidence.

Cancer Research

While statistical methods are a benefit to medical research in general, the incorporation

of statistics in the realm of cancer research is particularly useful. Because treatments

such as chemotherapy are so hard on the body and can cause such drastic side effects,

medical professionals want to be able to discontinue the use of particular therapies as

soon as possible if they are not having the desired effect on patients. The use of

statistical evidence can show medical personnel more clearly and quickly which

methods are making a difference and which aren’t helping so that a new course of

action can be more readily employed. As with other medical research, biostatistical

methods are also a guiding force in the clinical trials and cause identification of cancer.

As you can see, the combination of statistics with biological science has had a

tremendous impact on the fields of medicine and health. Through this combined lens,

scientists and researchers are able to isolate the causes and development of numerous

health issues, determine the kinds of treatments that are most effective and direct future

research in the most efficient and useful direction. So many life-changing developments

could never have come to fruition without the logical, concrete information provided

through this unique combination of statistics and biology. Biostatistics is invaluable

when it comes to the quality of life we lead and in the number of lives that are saved

each year.

Why Are Statistics Important in the Health Care Field?

By Rae Casto

Quantitative research guides health care decision makers with statistics--numerical data

collected from measurements or observation that describe the characteristics of specific

population samples. Descriptive statistics summarize the utility, efficacy and costs of

medical goods and services. Increasingly, health care organizations employ statistical

analysis to measure their performance outcomes. Hospitals and other large provider

service organizations implement data-driven, continuous quality improvement

programs to maximize efficiency. Government health and human service agencies

gauge the overall health and well-being of populations with statistical information.

Health Care Utilization

Researchers employ scientific methods to gather data on human population samples.

The health care industry benefits from knowing consumer market characteristics such

as age, sex, race, income and disabilities. These "demographic" statistics can predict the

types of services that people are using and the level of care that is affordable to them.

Health administrators reference statistics on service utilization to apply for grant

funding and to justify budget expenditures to their governing boards.

Resource Allocation

Heath care economists Rexford Santerre and Stephen Neun emphasize the importance

of statistics in the allocation of scarce medical resources. Statistical information is

invaluable in determining what combination of goods and services to produce, which

resources to allocate in producing them and to which populations to offer them. Health

care statistics are critical to allocative and production efficiency. Inevitably, allocation

decisions involve trade-offs--the costs of lost or missed opportunities in choosing one

economic decision over another. Reliable statistical information minimizes the risks of

health care trade-offs.

Needs Assessment

According to Frederick J. Gravetter and Larry B. Wallnau, statistics "create order out of

chaos" by summarizing and simplifying complex human populations. Public and

private health care administrators, charged with providing continuums of care to

diverse populations, compare existing services to community needs. Statistical analysis

is a critical component in a needs assessment. Statistics are equally important to

pharmaceutical and technology companies in developing product lines that meet the

needs of the populations they serve.

Quality Improvement

Health care providers strive to produce effective goods and services efficiently.

Statistics are important to health care companies in measuring performance success or

failure. By establishing benchmarks, or standards of service excellence, quality

improvement managers can measure future outcomes. Analysts map the overall growth

and viability of a health care company using statistical data gathered over time.

Product Development

Innovative medicine begins and, sometimes, ends with statistical analysis. Data are

collected and carefully reported in clinical trials of new technologies and treatments to

weigh products' benefits against their risks. Market research studies steer developers

toward highly competitive product lines. Statistics indirectly influence product pricing

by describing consumer demand in measurable units.