What Data Is Used for Biostatistics Reporting?
Biostatistics is the union of a branch of mathematics with a branch of science. The actual work performed by a biostatistician can vary depending on the education and concentration of each individual scientist, but one formula holds fairly constant across the discipline. The primary role of biostatisticians is to design the statistical aspect of experiments, gather and organize the data, and analyze the results.
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Data Types
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Biostatistics reporting utilizes different types of data for different applications. For example, a biostatistician specializing in pathology (disease biology) would review disease rates in a population or in response to a specific virus or bacteria. Biostatisticians working with oceanographers might use mathematical modeling to predict the settlement patterns of aquatic organisms on the ocean floor. In general, biostatisticians can handle any type of quantitative data that relates to a biological field. Quantitative data is defined as any type of data that can be represented by numbers.
Trend Analysis
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After quantitative data has been accumulated by the scientist, it is the biostatistician's job to find out what trends exist within the data set. For example, some populations of organisms may exhibit a measurable response to a stimulus; the biostatistician must determine the strength or degree of the response. Types of statistics utilized include hypothesis testing, mathematical modeling, Bayesian analysis and regression analysis. Statistical software packages can help the biostatistican perform long calculations in a short amount of time.
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Methods
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The two most useful methods of trend analysis are hypothesis testing and regression analysis. Hypothesis testing involves making an educated guess as to the characteristics of a data set, such as average value and standard deviation, and then uses statistics to decide whether or not the guess is correct. Regression analysis investigates the relationship between two variables by determining how well a data set fits an equation.
Reporting
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Once the data has been analyzed and trends have been determined, the biostatistician must present her work to the lab group or research team that collected the data. Biostatistics reports usually contain multiple tables and graphs that help non-mathematicians to "see" the findings clearly and to understand the conclusions. Reports will also summarize the method used to obtain the results and will offer suggestions about how to perform the next experiment.
Education and Job Opportunities
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Becoming a biostatistician requires education beyond the undergraduate level. In particular, the recommended graduate courses in statistics are those that focus on the applications of mathematics, not simply how to solve equations. Biostatisticians must be capable of not only analyzing data but also seeing the biological implications therein. There is an increasing demand for biostatisticians in academia, government and scientific industry, but the supply of people to fill these positions remains relatively constant.
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References
Resources
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