ASA Connect

 View Only

  • 1.  Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-03-2015 10:42

    Is anyone teaching biostatistics with a textbook that medical students actually like?  If so, which book do students like (or tolerate the best)?  I am teaching the typical 1 semester class and every book I have tried gets negative feedback for being too or not applied enough, too or not theoretical enough or not applicable to the medical students.  

    Thanks a bunch,

    Ray

    ------------------------------
    Raymond Balise, PhD
    University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-04-2015 09:29

    You could try Elston RC, Johnson WD. (2008) Basic Biostatistics for Geneticists and Epidemiologists. London: John Wiley & Sons, which is the basics of what I taught medical students at two different institutions. The soft-cover version is much more reasonably priced than the hard-cover one that first comes up if you google it.

    ------------------------------
    Robert Elston
    Emeritus Distinguished Professor
    Case Western Reserve University

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-07-2015 12:19

    I am always a little embarrassed to toot my own horn, but I will point out that my Statistics in Medicine, 3rd Edition, Elsevier, was written at a teaching hospital for residents. On the positive side, over and over physicians tell me it's the first time they ever understood anything about statistics. On the negative side, some statisticians say there's not enough mathematical explanation and derivation--but then it wasn't written for them.

    ------------------------------
    Robert Riffenburgh
    Naval Medical Center

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-04-2015 10:52

    Hi,

    My experience has been that med students are smart enough to learn whatever it is they feel is important for them. So your job as a teacher is less to communicate facts than to be a motivator -- to teach the music not just the words. I found that providing a series of compelling examples of how ignorance of statistical thinking can make them ineffective as physicians (and possibly look like idiots) really helped. I put a fair number of these in my 2014 book "Medical Illuminations" (Oxford) which as an ancillary text and motivator, has seemed to work very well indeed. As for a formal text, there are dozens of competent ones that all serve well (my favorites are those written by Paul Velleman & Dick Deveaux -- but others may have their own views).

    HW

    ------------------------------
    Howard Wainer
    Distinguished Research Scientist
    National Board of Medical Examiners

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-04-2015 13:03
    I have used Pagano & Gauvreau several times for biology students,
    many of whom will be medical students. Advantages are real data
    and correct treatment of the theory. Motivation for each procedure
    is clear. There are few formulas: the thought process is repeated each 
    time. No summaries of definitions, formulas, etc. to assist review for 
    exams.  Little attention to software; Stata output shown for many examples.

    I think student motivation is largely up to the instructor. Pointing out
    the practical relevance of topics can be helpful. Are there specific
    agreed-upon goals for the course? Is it feasible to involve students in
    individual projects? Can structure and results of clinical trials be
    discussed in context?
    --
    Bruce E. Trumbo
    Professor Emeritus of Statistics and Mathematics
    Department of Statistics and Biostatistics
    California State University, East Bay
    Hayward, CA 94542




    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-04-2015 17:10

    I teach a Biostat course to medical students and I really like Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences, 10th Edition.

    ------------------------------
    Christopher Franck
    Asst. Research Professor
    Virginia Tech

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Any recommended biostatistics books for medical students?

    Posted 12-07-2015 13:03

    adjunct text: How to Report Statistics in Medicine, Lang & Secic

    ------------------------------
    Michelle Secic

    Original Message