Hella Othman AlOthman
completed her MBBS at the age of 22 years from King Abdul-Aziz University School of Medicine
Title: Title: PHYSICIANS KNOW ABOUT BIOSTATISTICS BETTER THAN THEY THINK IN SAUDI ARABIA
Biography
Biography: Hella Othman AlOthman
Abstract
Biostatistics is the discipline that helps in making decisions when analyzing biomedical data with formulating explicit rules and for biases in designing studies in particular. Physicians were found to have limited knowledge of biostatistics. This study aims to assess the knowledge, familiarity and competency of statistical concepts among physicians in Saudi Arabia. This is a cross sectional study which was conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A convenient sample of 440 physicians were identified and contacted through digital survey monkey, WhatsApp groups and twitter. A questionnaire was used to obtain statistical knowledge of the participants. Data was entered and analyzed with SPSS (v24). Frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variable. Chi-square was used to show gap difference between attitudes toward knowledge. P < 0.000 was taken as significant.This study found that more than half of participants showed their interest in research and approximately 46% had at least one article published. Around 65% studied formal course on biostatistics in their undergraduate and postgraduate years. 59% were familiar to specificity and sensitivity, 53% to Median, 47% to Null hypothesis, 45% to Variables, 44% to Confident interval. Gap difference between familiarity and knowledge of various biostatical concepts was found statistically significant. Physicians were found to have sufficient information about basic principles of biostatistics which are commonly used in medical research articles. Steps should be taken to educate senior staff and other trainees by conducting practical courses and also indulging medical students in research projects.