Difficulty in Understanding Statistics: Medical Students’ Perspectives in a Nigerian University

Abstract

an online international journal allowing free unlimited access to abstract and full-text of published articles. The journal is devoted to the promotion of health sciences and related disciplines (including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, biotechnology, cell and molecular biology, and related engineering fields). It seeks particularly (but not exclusively) to encourage multidisciplinary research and collaboration among scientists, the industry and the healthcare professionals. It will also provide an international forum for the communication and evaluation of data, methods and findings in health sciences and related disciplines. The journal welcomes original research papers, reviews and case reports on current topics of special interest and relevance. All manuscripts will be subject to rapid peer review. Those of high quality (not previously published and not under consideration for publication) will be published without delay. The maximum length of manuscripts should normally be 10,000 words (20 single-spaced typewritten pages) for review, 6,000 words for research articles, 3,000 for technical notes, case reports, commentaries and short communications. Submission of Manuscript:The International Journal of Health Research uses a journal management software to allow authors track the changes to their submission. All manuscripts must be in MS Word and in English and should be submitted online at http://www.ijhr.org. Authors who do not want to submit online or cannot submit online should send their manuscript by e-mail attachment (in single file) to the editorial office below. Submission of a manuscript is an indication that the content has not been published or under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors may submit the names of expert reviewers or those they do not want to review their papers. Abstract PURPOSE: The study was conducted to examine the characteristics of medical students vis-à-vis difficulty in understanding statistics and to explore the perceived causes of this difficulty among those affected. METHODS: In a descriptive cross-sectional questionnairebased survey, 293 consenting final year medical students of the University of Benin were interviewed. Enquiries

Factors influencing health professions students’ use of computers for data analysis at three Ugandan public medical schools: a cross-sectional survey

“…Access to such statistical software is fundamental in the analysis of data by health professions undergraduate students who are often statistically naïve. The ease of understanding statistical and research concepts is directly dependent on the student’s interest and level of exposure to statistical data analysis techniques [ 4 ]. This is why hands-on computer use during data analysis training should be a key component of the research methods module in undergraduate and graduate training curriculums [ 5 ].…”

Application of biostatistics in research by teaching faculty and final-year postgraduate students in colleges of modern medicine: A cross-sectional study

“…[1] It is an essential tool for medical research, clinical decision making, and health management. [2] Statisticians have long expressed concern about the slow uptake of statistical ideas by the medical profession and the frequent misuse of statistics when these methods are used. On the other hand, doctors have been worried about the increasing pressure to make use of techniques that they do not fully understand.…”

“…[4] Writing on the teaching and learning of medical statistics in South Africa, Stander remarked that ‘medical practitioners were totally intimidated by the idea of statistics.’[5] Surveys on this issue are uncommon in the literature. [2]…”

Knowledge and use of biostatistics among resident and junior doctors at the university of port harcourt teaching hospital, Port Harcourt

“…At present, surveys on the knowledge of academic medical doctors of biostatistics are virtually nonexistent. [56] There is an obvious need for the planners of the medical curriculum and residency training programs in our region to rise to the occasion. The most effective way to commence is to evaluate the status quo and take a direction from the results to aim at improvement.…”