In an overloaded medical curriculum, statistics and epidemiological methodology are often given less attention by students who prioritise clinical courses. A doctor following the EBM paradigm practices medicine based on research findings and clinical experience. Detailed teaching of statistical techniques and software, is unnecessary for future doctors; instead, understanding of the methods used and the meaning of numerical results should be taught to be a bridge between the physician researcher and the specialist statistician involved in the research team. Working for years in national medical research institutes in Poland, I have seen doctors struggling frustratingly with SPSS and even SAS programs.
Should the teaching of mathematical statistics and epidemiological methodology take place during medical school or in postgraduate teaching?
Hi,
Absolutely true. AT undergraduate medical school they should be introduced to the way statistical methods work in various ways and those who are in need to know more can do additional courses which include probability theory, distributions, estimation, etc.
It is necessory upto intermediat level, however., all such stuff togather with core medical subjects at high level is not so easy. In such cenarios we have mathematicians of bio sciences, e.g., Mathematical/Statistical Biology, Bio informatics, etc...
Dear Kareem Omran
As a lecturer of statistics and epidemiology in postgraduate teaching, I appreciate students' support for such teaching methods. I emphasise that an introduction to statistical methods, rather than techniques, should find a place in statistics curricula. In discussionhttps://www.researchgate.net/post/AI_Statistical_Analysis_of_Clinical_Data_for_Non-Statisticians-part_1_Conceptualised?_ec=topicPostOverviewAuthoredQuestions&_sg=dxegRYUzzIlGYiwILs5Bs35u3rqdfSG7gT4ySLVibr16U2KuNAzZB61vZ-L_n2V9M2GF8jsxksdnA5gz
and
https://www.researchgate.net/post/AI_Statistical_analysis_of_clinical_data_for_a_non-statistician-Part_2_software?_ec=topicPostOverviewAuthoredQuestions&_sg=dxegRYUzzIlGYiwILs5Bs35u3rqdfSG7gT4ySLVibr16U2KuNAzZB61vZ-L_n2V9M2GF8jsxksdnA5gz I propose that statistical issues should be supported by AI software eliminating the use of statistical programs like SPSS, R, SAS, STATA by medical professionals and focusing their attention on substantive results. This approach has been tried by the intelligent computer software AIR , with the R statistical programme embeded in
Dear Bhogaraju Anand , I appreciate your reply . Indeed, advanced probabilistic topics should be taught in postgraduate courses for those who are interested
Muhammad Ali thank for your appretiation,
I agree with you completely. Medical students should be taught statistical methods, i.e. where and why they are used, how to interpret numerical results, e.g. OR in logistic regression, or the meaning of statistical significance, and not taught computer techniques, i.e. how to use statistical programs, commands in SPSS or R , because this is not needed and they are not able to master it at a professional level. Leave it to specialists in mathematical statistics, biostatistics . Computer techniques are unnecessary in the curriculum .
The rapid growth in undergraduate public health education has offered training in epidemiology to an increasing number of undergraduate students. Epidemiology courses introduce undergraduate students to a population health perspective and provide opportunities for these students to build essential skills and competencies such as ethical reasoning, teamwork, comprehension of scientific methods, critical thinking, quantitative and information literacy, ability to analyze public health information, and effective writing and oral communication. Taking a varied approach and incorporating active learning and assessment strategies can help engage students in the material, improve comprehension of key concepts, and further develop key competencies. In this commentary, we present examples of how epidemiology may be taught in the undergraduate setting. Evaluation of these approaches and others would be a valuable next step
Dear Nirmal Singh thank you very much indeed. Your reply concerns very important issue teaching epidemiology for public healthcare . On the other hand in clinical trials and whole means EBM introduction to statistical methods, rather than techniques, should find a place in statistics curricula.
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