STATISTICS APPLIED TO MEDICINE

Degree course: 
Corso di Long single cycle degree (6 years) in MEDICINE AND SURGERY
Academic year when starting the degree: 
2018/2019
Year: 
1
Academic year in which the course will be held: 
2018/2019
Course type: 
Basic compulsory subjects
Credits: 
3
Period: 
First Semester
Standard lectures hours: 
36
Detail of lecture’s hours: 
Lesson (30 hours), Exercise (6 hours)
Requirements: 

None

Final Examination: 
Orale

In-class test, with multiple choices questions and exercises.

Assessment: 
Voto Finale

The main aim of the course is to illustrate the basic elements of statistics needed to critically read and correctly interpret the results of a quantitative medical research.

Descriptive and inferential statistics are framed into the scientific knowledge process and the concept of "evidence-based medicine". Practicals will focus both on simple exercises and on the reading and understanding of the “results” section of scientific paper(s).

a. The process of scientific knowledge and "evidence-based medicine": how to generate and verify a hypothesis.
b.Descriptive statistics: definition of variables, frequencly distribution.
c. Descrpitive statistics: mode, median, mean
d. Variability and its measures: range, variance, standard deviation, variability coefficient
e. Symmetry
f. Probability: definitions and laws. Bayes's theorem and its application to diagnostic tests: sensitivity, specificity, predictive value, area under the ROC curve.
g. probability distributions: binomial and normal
h. Popolation and sample. Sampling methods. Distribution of the sampling mean and central limit theorem
i. Statistical inference: hypothesis test and confidence intervals
j. Inference on the mean: test Z, test t for independent samples, test t for matched samples, ANOVA
k. Inference on proportion(s): test Z, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test
l. Study design in medicine: observational studies vs. clinical trials.

Stanton A. Glantz
Statistica per discipline biomediche. Sesta Edizione.
McGraw-Hill

Lectures (30 hours) and practicals (6 hours).

Lesson notes available on the e-learning website.

Professors