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Statistics Education for Physiologists: Are Students Learning the Skills that They Need?
Author(s) -
Weissgerber Tracey L,
Garovic Vesna D,
MilinLazovic Jelena,
Winham Stacey J,
Obradovic Zoran,
Trzeciakowski Jerome P,
Milic Natasa M
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.553.29
Subject(s) - biostatistics , medical education , statistical analysis , statistics education , psychology , statistics , medicine , mathematics , mathematics education , epidemiology
Our recent systematic review illustrated that as scientists, we urgently need to change the way that we present data in small sample size studies. This paper has led to numerous calls to improve statistical training for basic scientists. Previous studies demonstrating that statistical errors are common in basic science research support this view. The aim of this study was to evaluate statistical requirements for PhD training among physiology departments and provide recommendations to improve statistics education for physiologists. We conducted a systematic review of research articles published in the top 25% of physiology journals between January 1 and March 31, 2014 (n=703) to determine what proportion of papers included statistical analyses. We then examined statistics education practices for departments on the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research 2014 list of top NIH funded physiology departments (n=80). Two independent abstractors reviewed department websites to determine whether a statistics course was required for PhD students. One abstractor then contacted each department to verify this information. 97.2% (n = 683/703) of research articles published in the top 25% of physiology journals included statistical analyses. In contrast, 67.5% of PhD programs in top NIH‐funded physiology departments required a statistics course for some (3.75%) or all (63.75%) PhD programs that the department participated in. Biostatistics was a recommended elective in 10% of departments and listed as an elective in 10% of departments. 12.5% of departments did not include biostatistics as a required or elective course for PhD students. Although statistics is an essential skill, biostatistics training is not always required to complete a PhD. We recommend that graduate programs require a statistics course. We propose that the faculty of physiology departments should collaborate with statistics instructors to ensure that courses teach students the skills that they will need to present and analyze physiological data. Courses should be designed around the sample sizes, study designs and types of data that are regularly used in physiology. Students should also learn to identify and correct errors in data presentation and analysis that are common in physiology publications. Support or Funding Information TLW was supported by the Office of Women's Health Research (Building Interdisciplinary Careers in Women's Health award K12HD065987).Almost all published papers include statistical analyses, however a statistics course is not always required to complete a PhD.