Clinicians’ Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Setting and Design
2.2. Ethical Issues
2.3. Study Instrument
2.4. Pilot Testing and Internal Consistency
2.5. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Sample Characteristics
3.2. Types of Data Frequently Encountered in Medical Literature
3.3. Association Between Sample Characteristics and Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature
3.4. Association between Types of Data Encountered and Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature
3.5. Factors Associated With Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature by Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Characteristics | n (%) |
---|---|
Gender | |
Men | 77 (38.3) |
Women | 124 (61.7) |
Age group (years) | |
≤30 | 90 (44.8) |
>30 | 111 (55.2) |
Clinician level | |
Medical officer | 163 (81.1) |
Clinical specialists | 38 (18.9) |
Highest biostatistics education | |
Medical school | 167 (83.1) |
Postgraduate degree | 34 (16.9) |
Previous research experience | |
No | 95 (47.3) |
Yes | 106 (52.7) |
Interpret p-values for a given result | |
Less confidence | 42 (20.9) |
Complete confidence | 159 (79.1) |
Interpret results of a statistical method used | |
Less confidence | 17 (8.5) |
Complete confidence | 184 (91.5) |
Assess if correct statistical procedure was used to answer research questions | |
Less confidence | 189 (94.0) |
Complete confidence | 12 (6.0) |
Identify factors that influence study power | |
Less confidence | 26 (12.9) |
Complete confidence | 175 (87.1) |
Perceived understanding of biostatistical results in the medical literature | |
No | 52 (25.9) |
Yes | 149 (74.1) |
Characteristics | n (%) |
---|---|
Data organization | |
Irregularly | 83 (41.3) |
Regularly | 118 (58.7) |
Measures of central tendency | |
Irregularly | 109 (54.2) |
Regularly | 92 (45.8) |
Measures of dispersion | |
Irregularly | 114 (56.7) |
Regularly | 87 (43.3) |
Inferential statistics | |
Irregularly | 73 (36.3) |
Regularly | 128 (63.7) |
Correlation and dispersion | |
Irregularly | 93 (46.3) |
Regularly | 108 (53.7) |
Measuring scales | |
Irregularly | 133 (66.2) |
Regularly | 68 (33.8) |
Characteristics | Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature | OR (95% CI) | |
---|---|---|---|
Yes n (%) | No n (%) | ||
Gender | |||
Men | 56 (72.7) | 21 (27.3) | 1 1.1 (0.6–2.1) |
Women | 93 (75.0) | 31 (25.0) | |
Age group (years) | |||
≤30 | 48 (53.3) | 42 (46.7) | 1 8.8 (4.1–19.1)* |
>30 | 101 (90.1) | 10 (8.9) | |
Clinician level | |||
Medical officer | 116 (71.2) | 47 (28.8) | 1 2.7 (1.1–7.3)* |
Clinical specialists | 33 (86.8) | 5 (13.2) | |
Highest biostatistics education | |||
Medical school | 122 (73.1) | 45 (26.9) | 1 1.4 (0.6–3.5) |
Postgraduate degree | 27 (79.4) | 7 (20.6) | |
Previous research experience | |||
No | 67 (70.5) | 28 (29.5) | 1 1.4 (0.8–2.7) |
Yes | 82 (77.4) | 24 (22.6) | |
Interpret p-values for a given result | |||
Less confidence | 20 (47.6) | 22 (52.4) | 1 |
Complete confidence | 129 (81.1) | 30 (18.9) | 4.1 (1.6–10.4)* |
Interpret results of a statistical method used | |||
Less confidence | 9 (52.9) | 8 (47.1) | 1 2.8 (1.1–7.8)* |
Complete confidence | 140 (76.1) | 44 (23.9) | |
Assess if correct statistical procedure was used to answer research questions | |||
Less confidence | 140 (74.1) | 49 (25.9) | 1 1.1 (0.3–4.0) |
Complete confidence | 9 (75.0) | 3 (25.0) | |
Identify factors that influence study power | |||
Less confidence | 15 (57.7) | 11 (42.3) | 1 2.4 (1.1–5.6)* |
Complete confidence | 134 (76.6) | 41 (23.4) |
Types of Data | Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature | OR (95% CI) | |
---|---|---|---|
Yes n (%) | No n (%) | ||
Data organization | |||
Irregularly | 57 (68.7) | 26 (31.3) | 1 1.6 (0.9–3.1) |
Regularly | 92 (78.0) | 26 (22.0) | |
Measures of central tendency | |||
Irregularly | 74 (67.9) | 35 (32.1) | 1 2.1 (1.1–4.0)* |
Regularly | 75 (81.5) | 17 (18.5) | |
Measures of dispersion | |||
Irregularly | 79 (69.3) | 35 (30.7) | 1 1.8 (0.9–3.5) |
Regularly | 70 (80.5) | 17 (19.5) | |
Inferential statistics | |||
Irregularly | 47 (64.4) | 26 (35.6) | 1 2.2 (1.1–4.1)* |
Regularly | 102 (79.7) | 26 (20.3) | |
Correlation & dispersion | |||
Irregularly | 66 (71.0) | 27 (29.0) | 1 1.4 (0.7–2.6) |
Regularly | 83 (76.9) | 25 (23.1) | |
Measuring scales | |||
Irregularly | 92 (69.2) | 41 (30.8) | 1 2.3 (1.1–4.9)* |
Regularly | 57 (83.8) | 11 (16.2) |
Characteristics | B | SE | Wald | AOR (95% CI) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Interpret p-values for a given result | ||||
Less confidence | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref 3.0 (1.1–8.1)* |
Complete confidence | −1.1 | 0.5 | 5.0 | |
Interpret results of a statistical method used | ||||
Less confidence | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref 3.1 (0.9–9.8) |
Complete confidence | −1.1 | 0.6 | 3.6 | |
Measures of central tendency | ||||
Irregularly | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref 2.3 (1.1–5.2)* |
Regularly | 0.9 | 0.4 | 4.4 | |
Inferential statistics | ||||
Irregularly | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref 2.2 (1.1–4.5)* |
Regularly | 0.8 | 0.4 | 4.3 |
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Ganasegeran, K.; Ch’ng, A.S.H.; Jamil, M.F.A.; Looi, I. Clinicians’ Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature: A Cross-Sectional Study. Medicina 2019, 55, 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55060227
Ganasegeran K, Ch’ng ASH, Jamil MFA, Looi I. Clinicians’ Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature: A Cross-Sectional Study. Medicina. 2019; 55(6):227. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55060227
Chicago/Turabian StyleGanasegeran, Kurubaran, Alan Swee Hock Ch’ng, Mohd Fadzly Amar Jamil, and Irene Looi. 2019. "Clinicians’ Perceived Understanding of Biostatistical Results in the Medical Literature: A Cross-Sectional Study" Medicina 55, no. 6: 227. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina55060227