A study of attitudes of teaching faculty and postgraduate residents at a tertiary care teaching hospital toward biostatistics

• Main Authors: Devavrat G Harshe, Deepti A Abraham
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017-01-01
• Series: Muller Journal of Medical Sciences and Research
• Subjects: Attitudes; medical; statistics
• Online Access: http://www.mjmsr.net/article.asp?issn=0975-9727;year=2017;volume=8;issue=1;spage=10;epage=14;aulast=Harshe

Context: Medical research is being encouraged in India and biostatistics is a vital tool. It is important to understand the attitudes toward biostatistics before teaching programs and workshops are conducted to empower clinicians with this vital tool. Materials and Methods: Eighty consenting participants were cross-sectionally assessed on a semi-structured questionnaire and two validated Likert type questionnaires on attitudes toward biostatistics. Results: Participants reported biostatistics to be the most difficult subject in the MBBS curriculum. Participants felt that their training in biostatistics so far was inadequate and ineffective. They reported that biostatistics would be better understood if taught by someone with a medical background and in 3rd MBBS. They accepted that biostatistics should be an important part and skill present in every member of a research team. Participants reported the wish to learn basic biostatistical skills to be able to perform and design their own research projects. Conclusions: There are negative attitudes toward biostatistics in faculty as well as residents and improvements in teaching techniques, as well as teaching policies, are necessary to bring about the necessary change.