Open AccessEvaluating Mastery of Biostatistics for Medical Researchers: Need for a New Assessment Tool
Author(s) -
Enders Felicity
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
clinical and translational science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.303
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1752-8062
pISSN - 1752-8054
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-8062.2011.00323.x
Subject(s) - biostatistics , medical education , medicine , statistical analysis , medline , medical research , public health , statistics , mathematics , pathology , political science , law
Research training has enabled academic clinicians to contribute significantly to the body of medical research literature. Biostatistics represents a critical methodological skill for such researchers, as statistical methods are increasingly a necessary part of medical research. However, there is no validated knowledge and skills assessment for graduate level biostatistics for academic medical researchers. In this paper, I review graduate level statistical competencies and existing instruments intended to assess physicians’ ability to read the medical literature and for undergraduate statistics for their alignment with core competencies necessary for successful use of statistics. This analysis shows a need for a new instrument to assess biostatistical competencies for medical researchers. Clin Trans Sci 2011; Volume 4: 448–454