scholarly journals Statistical Literacy Among Academic Pathologists: A Survey Study to Gauge Knowledge of Frequently Used Statistical Tests Among Trainees and Faculty

2016 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Schmidt ◽  
Deborah J. Chute ◽  
Jorie M. Colbert-Getz ◽  
Adolfo Firpo-Betancourt ◽  
Daniel S. James ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Clinical Pathology ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Advanced Degree ◽  
Knowledge Level ◽  
Statistical Literacy ◽  
Statistical Knowledge

Context.—Statistical literacy can be defined as understanding the statistical tests and terminology needed for the design, analysis, and conclusions of original research or laboratory testing. Little is known about the statistical literacy of clinical or anatomic pathologists. Objective.—To determine the statistical methods most commonly used in pathology studies from the literature and to assess familiarity and knowledge level of these statistical tests by pathology residents and practicing pathologists. Design.—The most frequently used statistical methods were determined by a review of 1100 research articles published in 11 pathology journals during 2015. Familiarity with statistical methods was determined by a survey of pathology trainees and practicing pathologists at 9 academic institutions in which pathologists were asked to rate their knowledge of the methods identified by the focused review of the literature. Results.—We identified 18 statistical tests that appear frequently in published pathology studies. On average, pathologists reported a knowledge level between “no knowledge” and “basic knowledge” of most statistical tests. Knowledge of tests was higher for more frequently used tests. Greater statistical knowledge was associated with a focus on clinical pathology versus anatomic pathology, having had a statistics course, having an advanced degree other than an MD degree, and publishing research. Statistical knowledge was not associated with length of pathology practice. Conclusions.—An audit of pathology literature reveals that knowledge of about 12 statistical tests would be sufficient to provide statistical literacy for pathologists. On average, most pathologists report they can interpret commonly used tests but are unable to perform them. Most pathologists indicated that they would benefit from additional statistical training.

Assessment Practices of American Orchestra Directors

2019 ◽  
pp. 400-422
Author(s):  
Kirk Moss ◽  
Stephen Benham ◽  
Kristen Pellegrino
Keyword(s):  
Small Body ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Music Literacy ◽  
Cultural Elements ◽  
Learning Improvement ◽  
String Teachers ◽  
Descriptive Survey ◽  
District Administration

After reviewing a small body of literature on the assessment practices of American orchestra directors, this chapter quickly shifts attention to conducting original research. It describes a descriptive survey study with American String Teachers Association (ASTA) members (N = 416) that found performance-based assessments were the most frequently used form of formal assessment to evaluate technique, musicianship skills, creative musicianship, and ensemble skills. Music literacy was nearly equally split between performance-based and written assessments, while evaluation of music and musical performances and historical and cultural elements tended toward written assessments and verbal feedback. Creative musicianship and historical/cultural elements were the top two nonassessed areas, but were still assessed by the vast majority of teachers. Interviews with five string teachers demonstrate that the research participants emphasized performing/playing assessments, focused on student learning/improvement, acknowledged the role of the school district/administration and benefited from its support, and recognized the value in aligning assessment to standards/curriculum.

scholarly journals Quality Control in Production Processes

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 77-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslav Prístavka ◽  
Martina Kotorová ◽  
Radovan Savov
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Quality Management ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Basic Quality ◽  
Quality Tools

AbstractThe tools for quality management are used for quality improvement throughout the whole Europe and developed countries. Simple statistics are considered one of the most basic methods. The goal was to apply the simple statistical methods to practice and to solve problems by using them. Selected methods are used for processing the list of internal discrepancies within the organization, and for identification of the root cause of the problem and its appropriate solution. Seven basic quality tools are simple graphical tools, but very effective in solving problems related to quality. They are called essential because they are suitable for people with at least basic knowledge in statistics; therefore, they can be used to solve the vast majority of problems.

scholarly journals Seven Steps Toward Transparency and Replicability in Psychological Science

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Stephen Lindsay
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Error ◽  
Publication Bias ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Research Practices ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Statistical Knowledge

Psychological scientists strive to advance understanding of how and why we animals do and think and feel as we do. This is difficult, in part because flukes of chance and measurement error obscure researchers’ perceptions. Many psychologists use inferential statistical tests to peer through the murk of chance and discern relationships between variables. Those tests are powerful tools, but they must be wielded with skill. Moreover, research reports must convey to readers a detailed and accurate understanding of how the data were obtained and analyzed. Research psychologists often fall short in those regards. This paper attempts to motivate and explain ways to enhance the transparency and replicability of psychological science. Specifically, I speak to how publication bias and p hacking contribute to effect-size exaggeration in the published literature, and how effect-size exaggeration contributes, in turn, to replication failures. Then I present seven steps toward addressing these problems: Telling the truth; upgrading statistical knowledge; standardizing aspects of research practices; documenting lab procedures in a lab manual; making materials, data, and analysis scripts transparent; addressing constraints on generality; and collaborating.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DAY OF THE WEEK EFFECT ON BIRTHS IN HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 1350014
Author(s):  
YI CAI ◽  
DEJIAN LAI ◽  
DOROTHY KIM WALLER ◽  
XIANGLIN DU ◽  
KEITH BURAU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Pairwise Comparisons ◽  
Harris County ◽  
Friedman's Test ◽  
Formal Statistical Analysis ◽  
Timing Of Births ◽  
Day Of The Week

The frequency of births by day of the week has been reported by several studies without a formal statistical analysis. Births occurring on weekends have been consistently found to be less frequent than births on weekdays. In this study, we compared different statistical methods to assess the effect of the day of the week on the timing of births. We employed two statistical methods, two-way ANOVA and two-way Friedman's test, to analyze the daily variations of 222,735 births from 2005 to 2007 in Harris County, Texas. Both of the statistical tests indicated that births were not uniformly distributed by day of the week. Pairwise comparisons demonstrated that the births occurring on weekends were significantly less frequent than births occurring on weekdays. Our study together with other empirical studies would provide useful information for improving hospital management and the health of infants and their mothers.

scholarly journals Improving community pharmacists’ clinical knowledge to detect and resolve drug-related problems in Croatia: a before/after survey study investigating the efficacy of an educational intervention

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e034674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lovre Zekan ◽  
Arijana Mestrovic ◽  
Ana Seselja Perisin ◽  
Josipa Bukic ◽  
Dario Leskur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Pharmacy ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
Knowledge Level ◽  
Clinical Knowledge ◽  
Drug Related Problems ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Practice Teaching

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to increase the knowledge level of community pharmacists in Croatia to identify and resolve drug-related problems (DRPs).DesignBefore/after survey study.SettingUniversity of Split School of Medicine.Participants115 community pharmacists from all over the Croatia.InterventionsAn interactive 3-day clinical pharmacy workshop with the goal of increasing the knowledge level of community pharmacists in Croatia to identify and resolve DRPs in routine practice. Teaching methods were based on interactive clinical case solving.Outcome measureChange of the community pharmacists’ knowledge based on preworkshop and postworkshop evaluation. A survey-based clinical knowledge measurement tool was used in order to evaluate the efficacy of the workshop. The lowest possible total score was 0 and the highest was 80. A higher survey score indicates a higher level of clinical knowledge to identify and resolve DRPs.ResultsParticipating pharmacists had significantly higher postworkshop mean survey score (49.1±8.0) than the preworkshop mean survey score (42.9±8.2), with the mean score difference of 6.2 (95% CI 4.3 to 8.1). Furthermore, it was found that community pharmacists significantly increased their survey scores, regardless of their age.ConclusionsInteractive and case-based clinical pharmacy workshop could be a valuable tool to increase the knowledge of community pharmacists about identification and management of DRPs in routine practice. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the long-term knowledge maintenance and the improvement in patients’ clinical outcomes.

scholarly journals Pain Threshold, Pain Severity and Sensory Effects of Pain in Fibromyalgia Syndrome Patients: A new scale study

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Handan Ankarali ◽  
Safinaz Ataoglu ◽  
Seyit Ankarali ◽  
Hasan Guclu
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construct Validity ◽  
Fibromyalgia Syndrome ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Pain Severity ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Sensory Effects ◽  
Significant Difference

Objectives: The aim of this study to develop a new scale to evaluate pain threshold, sensory effects of pain and pain severity in patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS).Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey study and a questionnaire was administered to 52 voluntary patients diagnosed with FMS. In the proposed scale, thereare six questions about severe and less severe pain experience,two questions about the pain severity and sensory effect of FMS. In statistical analysis we used reliability analysis, factor analysis for construct validity, and other statistical tests to compare differences.Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed construct validity of the scale, and detected three factors. The internal consistency of the items of the scale was statistically significant. The agreement between the scores was good. Based on the answers, the patients were divided into two groups as low and high pain thresholds. There was no significant difference between these two groups in terms of severity of pain and sensory change due to fibromyalgia. In addition, the severity of pain in patients is lower than headache and at the level of stomachache and toothache.Discussion and Conclusion: The proposed scale allows the assessment of pain severity to be more detailed and paying attention to visually, it allows determining the pain threshold. It is suggested to compare the pain threshold determined by this scale with the pain threshold determined by different methods.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.17(3) 2018 p.342-350

On the validity of statistical tests of the graduation of a mortality table

1946 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Daw
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Methods ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
General Rule ◽  
Theoretical Aspect ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Theoretical Interest ◽  
Mortality Statistics ◽  
Mortality Table

An important part of the work of an actuary consists in making and testing graduations of mortality statistics. Much space has been devoted in the Journal to methods of graduation, but for many years, apart from the recent paper by H. L. Seal (J.I.A. Vol. lxxi, p. 5), little attention seems to have been paid to the testing of graduations. Although statistical methods are usually employed in making the tests, consideration has not often been given to ascertaining whether mortality statistics fulfil the conditions necessary for the tests to be strictly applicable. It is the purpose of this paper to set out some investigations into this question. Such matters may be thought to be of only theoretical interest, since, in practice, the tests work satisfactorily as a general rule; but actuaries should not employ their tools in a mechanical fashion without realizing fully their limitations and implications, and the question therefore takes on a practical as well as a theoretical aspect. It is hoped that this paper will show how far the tests of a graduation are satisfactory in theory and practice and indicate where modifications are required.

The Impact of Selected Aspects of Life on the Incidence of Back Pain in Relation to Age of Patients

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17
Author(s):  
Jerzy Błyszczuk ◽  
Renata Błyszczuk
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Moderate Physical Activity ◽  
Lumbar Region ◽  
Therapeutic Massage ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Impact

<b>Intodruction:</b> The most common reasons for back pain in modern society include inadequate physical activity, obesity and lack of basic knowledge on the correct positions of the spine. There are also other reasons such as pathological changes including damage and degeneration of annular fibers in the spinal disk, posttraumatic back pain and incorrect posture. <br/><b>Materials and methods:</b> On the basis of a survey study on the population of 240 individuals (120 males and 120 females) we aimed to answer the following questions: how body index, physical activity, type of profession and education level correlate with the frequency of back pain in relation to age. Furthermore, responders reported the most commonly injured spine regions and types of treatments. <br/><b>Results and Conclusions:</b> Obese individuals more often suffer from back pain. Moderate physical activity is beneficial on spine prophylaxis. Aging correlates with higher risk of back pain. Back pain is the most commonly reported in the lumbar region. Common painkiller medications and restricted physical activity represent main treatments of back pain. Visiting a doctor, physiotherapy and therapeutic massage are less common. These conclusions hold true for both males and females.

Are Most Published Research Findings False?

2011 ◽  
Vol 231 (5-6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Diekmann
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Total Error ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Short Note ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Replication Studies ◽  
Professional Journals ◽  
Error Ratio ◽  
Research Findings

SummaryIn a provocative article Ioannidis (2005) argues that, in disciplines employing statistical tests of significance, professional journals report more wrong than true significant results. This short note sketches the argument and explores under what conditions the assertion holds. The “positive predictive value” (PPV) is lower than 1/2 if the a priori probability of the truth of a hypothesis is low. However, computation of the PPV includes only significant results. If both significant and non-significant results are taken into account the “total error ratio” (TER) will not exceed 1/2 provided no extremely large publication bias is present. Moreover, it is shown that theory-driven research may reduce the proportion of errors. Also, the role of replications is emphasized; replication studies of original research are so important because they drastically decrease the error ratio.

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