Essentials of Biostatistics for Medical Students –Including manual on statistical analysis using SPSS

Book Review: Essentials of Biostatistics for Medical Students – Including a Manual on Statistical Analysis Using SPSS

Author Dr. AB Ramjyothis

Review : Dr Mansoor Ali KR

Dr. AB Ramjyothis’s Essentials of Biostatistics for Medical Students is a comprehensive and practical guide tailored for medical students and researchers who need a foundational understanding of biostatistics and its application in medical research. The book is notable for its dual focus on theoretical concepts and hands-on application using SPSS, making it an invaluable resource for beginners and intermediates alike.

Strengths of the Book:

1. Structured Content: The book’s layout is well-organized, starting with fundamental concepts such as definitions, data types, and the importance of biostatistics in medical research. It progressively delves into more complex topics like study designs, sampling techniques, inferential statistics, and hypothesis testing.
2. Comprehensive Coverage: The table of contents indicates a thorough exploration of key biostatistical topics, including descriptive statistics, various tests of significance, correlation, and regression analysis. This breadth ensures that readers have access to a wide range of tools necessary for medical research.
3. SPSS Manual: A standout feature is the manual on statistical analysis using SPSS, which provides step-by-step guidance on tasks such as data import, variable transformation, and conducting various statistical tests. This practical approach bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and its real-world application.
4. User-Friendly Approach: The book simplifies complex statistical concepts, making them accessible to medical students who may not have a strong background in mathematics or statistics. The inclusion of examples relevant to medical research further enhances understanding.
5. Focus on Research: Chapters on study designs, sample size determination, and questionnaire design are particularly valuable for students involved in research projects or thesis work. The emphasis on ethical considerations highlights the importance of integrity in statistical analysis.
6. Supplementary Materials: The glossary, appendices, and bibliography provide additional support, making this book a handy reference.

Areas for Improvement:

• Visual Aids: While the table of contents suggests extensive use of examples, the addition of more graphical illustrations, charts, and diagrams could enhance comprehension.
• Advanced Topics: Researchers looking for advanced statistical techniques or more nuanced discussions on machine learning or big data analytics might find the content limited.

Target Audience:

This book is ideal for:

• Medical students seeking to understand and apply biostatistics in their studies and research.
• Healthcare professionals and researchers who need a practical introduction to SPSS for data analysis.
• Educators in medical schools looking for a structured resource to teach biostatistics.

Conclusion:

Essentials of Biostatistics for Medical Students by Dr. AB Ramjyothis strikes a fine balance between theory and practice, offering readers a robust foundation in biostatistics while equipping them with the skills to use SPSS effectively. Its clear, concise, and practical approach makes it a must-have for medical students and budding researchers.

With a focus on equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary for statistical analysis in research projects, this book provides a comprehensive guide to designing studies, analysing data, and drawing valid conclusions. The inclusion of a manual for statistical analysis using SPSS software and a guide to sample size estimation using G-power ensures that students have practical tools at their disposal for conducting research efficiently and accurately. Whether embarking on dissertation works or short-term research projects, students will find invaluable resources to navigate the challenges of statistical analysis and make meaningful contributions to the field of medical research.

ISBN : 979-8893229868

pages : 192

Rs.179 / 385

Purchase link : https://www.amazon.in/Essentials-Biostatistics-Medical-Students-statistical-ebook/dp/B0D3B8M35W

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Biostatistics. 9
2. Definition and Scope of Biostatistics: 9
3. Importance of biostatistics in medical research. 10
4. Basic Principles and Concepts of Biostatistics. 11
5. Data Presentation in Biostatistics. 14
6. Definition and types of data. 14
7. Methods of data presentation. 15
8. Tabular presentation. 15
9. Diagrammatic presentation. 15
10. Descriptive Statistics. 21
11. Classifications of Descriptive Statistics: 21
12. Measures of Central Tendency. 21
13. Measures of Dispersion. 22
14. Normal distribution and its importance. 23
15. Skewness. 23
16. Kurtosis. 24
17. Conditions for Normal distributions. 25
18. Other types of distributions in statistics. 25
19. Study designs in medical research. 27
20. Observational studies. 27
21. Descriptive studies. 27
22. Analytical studies. 27
23. Experimental studies. 30
24. Quasi-Experimental Studies: 31
25. Research design considerations and biases. 32
26. Research biases in medical research: 33
27. Sampling Techniques and Sample Size Determination 34
28. Practical applications of some sampling techniques in health research: 36
29. Simple random sampling: 36
30. Systematic Sampling: 36
31. Stratified Sampling. 36
32. Cluster Sampling. 36
33. Sample size calculations. 37
34. Sample size calculation for descriptive study. 38
35. Sample size calculation for case control studies. 38
36. Sample size calculation of cohort studies. 39
37. Sample size calculation for Clinical trials or clinical interventional studies. 39
38. Sample size calculations using G power. 40
39. Inferential statistics. 41
40. Sampling error and Non – sampling error 43
41. Hypothesis. 43
42. Alpha error and beta error 44
43. Confidence interval 44
44. Level of significance. 45
45. Probability and the ‘P value’ 45
46. Significance of P Value: 45
47. Hypothesis testing. 46
48. Test of significance.. 47
49. Common parametric and nonparametric tests and their purpose. 48
50. Tests of significances related to comparison of means. 50
51. Unpaired or Independent sample t test: 50
52. Paired t test: 51
53. ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) 52
54. Mann – Whitney U test 53
55. Wilcoxon signed rank test. 53
56. Kruskal-Wallis test 54
57. Chi – Square test( X2) 55
58. Z test for proportions: 57
59. Correlation.. 58
60. Correlation coefficient 58
61. Types of Correlations. 58
62. Steps to calculate Pearson’s correlation coefficient 59
63. Interpretation of Correlation coefficient 60
64. Regression.. 61
65. Types of Regression models: 61
66. Linear regression. 61
67. Logistic regression. 61
68. Cox proportional hazards regression. 61
69. Types of logistic regressions: 62
70. o Binary Logistic Regression. 62
71. o Multinomial Logistic Regression. 62
72. o Ordinal Logistic Regression. 62
73. o Conditional Logistic Regression. 62
74. Manual on statistical analysis with SPSS 64
75. ( Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) 64
76. Downloading SPSS: A Step-by-Step Guide. 65
77. Types of data files in SPSS. 66
78. How to import data from Excel to SPSS?. 67
79. How to define variables in SPSS?. 68
80. How to convert a continuous variable to categories in SPSS ?. 69
81. How to Transform variables – Recode into different variables in SPSS. 70
82. How to use Compute Function in SPSS?. 71
83. How to do descriptive statistics for a continuous variable using SPSS?. 71
84. How to do descriptive statistics for a categorical variable using SPSS?. 72
85. How to do descriptive statistics for association between 2 categorical variables using SPSS? ( Example: gender and type of diabetes) 72
86. How to do Normality test in SPSS?. 73
87. How to compare the difference in mean of a continuous variable from a standard value using SPSS?. 73
88. How to compare the difference in means of continuous variable from 2 different groups (2 independent groups) using SPSS?. 74
89. How to compare the difference in means of paired data using SPSS?. 75
90. How to compare the difference in means of continuous data from more than 2 groups using SPSS?. 75
91. How to study the association between 2 categorical variables using SPSS?. 76
92. How to check if the difference in a continuous variable from a standard value is statistically significant, if the data is not normally distributed?. 76
93. How to compare the difference in continuous variable from 2 different groups (2 independent groups) using SPSS, if the data is not normally distributed?. 77
94. How to compare the difference in paired data or related data using SPSS, if data is not normally distributed?. 77
95. How to compare the difference in means of continuous data from more than 2 groups using SPSS, if data is not normally distributed?. 78
96. How to measure of the strength and direction of linear relationship that exists between two continuous variables using SPSS and the variables are normally distributed?. 78
97. How to measure of the strength and direction of linear relationship that exists between two continuous variables using SPSS and the variables are not normally distributed?. 79
98. How to measure the linear relationship between two continuous variables to predict the value of a dependent variable based on the value of an independent variable?. 79
99. How to measure the linear relationship between two continuous variables to predict the value of a dependent variable based on the value of more than one independent variable?. 80
100. How to measure the relationship between two or more categorical variables to predict the value of a categorical variable?. 80
101. Questionnaire designing for Research. 82
102. Essential steps for developing a good questionnaire. 84
103. Understanding Reliability and Validity in Questionnaire Development: 87
104. Reliability: 87
105. Validity 90
106. Ethical Considerations in Statistical Analysis for Medical Research.. 92