Doctors' Statistical Literacy: A Survey at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen Universityt
MALINEE LAOP AIBOON, M.Sc. *, PISAKE LUMBIGANON, M.D.**, STEPHEN D WALTER, M.D.***
Affiliation : * Department of Biostatistics and Demography, Faculty of Public Health, ** Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand. *** Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, 1200 MainStreet West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5 Canada. t This study was presented at the Inclen XI Annual Meeting, Cairo, Egypt, 24-29 January, 1993 and International Epidemiological Association 13th Scientific Meeting, Sydney, Australia, 26-29 September, 1993.
Abstract Medical doctors need to keep abreast of new developments in medicine. This is often done by reading medical journals and carrying out research activities that require an understanding of statistical methods. This study was designed to assess the knowledge of statistics among doctors in Thailand. A pretested, self-administered questionnaire with nine multiple-choice questions on basic statistical issues was used. In a survey of university hospital staff, there were 365 doctors, including 156 specialists, 152 residents and 57 final year medical students (ex terns). The overall response rate was 40.0 per cent. The overall median number of correct answers was 4.0 (95% CI 3.0, 4.0). Spe- cialists had a significantly higher median score, 4.0 than residents, and externs, 3.0's, (p = 0.02). Respondents who had previously attended statistical workshops had a significantly higher median score (5.0) than those who had not (3.0) (p < 0.01). These results indicate that doctors in our hospital have insufficient knowledge of the basic statistical concepts that are commonly used in medical journals. Continuing education in statistics for doctors during residency and post doctoral training must be given serious consideration.
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