Information about the Book “Statistics in Medicine”
Statistics in Medicine is a guide for medical researchers to select the appropriate statistical plan for their studies and conduct the analysis. It is used in both teaching biostatistics courses and as a reference guide for the individual medical investigator. It requirs only ability in arithmetic and a touch of algebra as background, and leads the user through statistical basics into most of the rather sophisticated techniques currently seen in medical research.
Statistics in Medicine has been well received globally and has been translated into other languages. A world-wide survey of medical research investigators showed it to be the third-most used biostatistics book. It was developed from series of lectures at the Naval Medical Center San Diego, Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, and Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
The book opens with basic guidance to medical investigators and with basic elementary statistical concepts and continues with the most used statistical methods, exemplified with actual data from all different specialties of medicine. It progresses from simple counts and averages to sophisticated methods, like multiple/curvilinear regression, multi-factor ANOVA, survival methods, and statistical modeling. It covers a spectrum of methods used in medical research, such as clinical trials, surveys, Bayesian methods, risks/odds and ROC curves, rank methods, and epidemiology.
Some Key Features
* User-friendly format includes medical examples, step-by-step methods, and check-yourself exercises appealing to readers with little or no statistical background, across medical and biomedical disciplines
* Facilitates stand-alone methods rather than a required sequence of reading and references to prior text.
* Covers topics often omitted from other books on this subject: study trial randomization, treatment ethics in medical research, imputation of missing data, evidence-based medical decisions, how to interpret medical articles, noninferiority testing, meta-analysis, screening number needed to treat, epidemiology, and other useful topics.
* Covers the spectrum missing in other biostatistics books from guidance on how to go about research through to how to analyze and interpret results of that research.
* 35 Databases in Excel format used in the book and can be downloaded and transferred into whatever format is needed along with PowerPoint slides of figures, tables, and graphs from the book included on the companion site, http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companions/9780123848642
* Medical subject index offers additional search capabilities.
Statistics in Medicine, 4th Edition:
Elsevier, July 2021, 795+xxvi pp.
(1st Edition: 1999; 2nd Edition: 2006; 3rd Edition: 2012. 3rd Edition sold out, was reprinted 2016.)
A capable coauthor joined me to write the 4th Edition and to carry the book forward in future decades: Dr Dan Gillen, Professor and Chairman, Statistics Department, University of California Irvine.
This edition brings past material up to date, expands on a number of issues, e.g. meta-analysis, and covers several more advanced forms of regression.
Table of Contents, 4th Edition
Forewords
How to use this book
Chapter 1 Planning Studies: From Design to Publication
Chapter 2 Planning Analysis: How To Reach My Scientific Objective
Chapter 3 Probability and Relative Frequency
Chapter 4 Distributions
Chapter 5 Descriptive Statistics
Chapter 6 Finding Probabilities
Chapter 7 Hypothesis Testing: Concept and Practice
Chapter 8 Confidence Intervals
Chapter 9 Tests on Categorical Data
Chapter 10 Risks, Odds, and ROC Curves
Chapter 11 Tests of Location with Continuous Outcomes
Chapter 12 Equivalence Testing
Chapter 13 Tests on Variability and Distributions
Chapter 14 Measuring Association and Agreement
Chapter 15 Linear Regression and Correlation
Chapter 16 Multiple Linear & Curvilinear Regression & Multi-Factor ANOVA
Chapter 17 Logistic Regression for Binary Outcomes
Chapter 18 Regression Models for Count Outcomes
Chapter 19 Analysis of Censored Time-To-Event Data
Chapter 20 Analysis of Repeated Continuous Measures of Time
Chapter 21 Sample Size Estimation
Chapter 22 Clinical Trials and Group Sequential Analyses
Chapter 23 Epidemiology
Chapter 24 Meta Analyses
Chapter 25 Bayesian Statistics
Chapter 26 Questionnaires and Surveys
Chapter 27 Techniques to Aid Analysis
Chapter 28 Methods You Might Meet, But Not Every Day
Answers to chapter exercises
Tables of probability distributions Databases
References and data sources
Symbol, Statistical Subject, and Medical Subject Indices
Reviews
(Affiliations as of when review was written)
“I teach MPH, Preventive Medicine residents, Clinical Science and Population Health Science students. I currently use Statistics in Medicine, 2nd Ed…and now am quite fond of it. Its strength is a pedagogical trick of covering the material first at a high level (30,000 ft) and then in detail….My students like the text.”
–Daniel Freeman, PhD, Professor, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston TX.
“It is very difficult to avoid much of the basic mathematics without losing some of the important concepts and foundation to the subject. Many authors that try, fail miserably. Riffenburgh [has] carefully crafted a text that succeeds in this goal. I consider Riffenburgh’s book to be a great choice especially for a two quarter or two semester course.”
–Michael Chernick, PhD, Director of Biostatistical Services, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Arlington VA.
“I love your book Statistics in Medicine and I use it as a go-to to understand concepts. Your book sir is truly enlightening in a difficult to teach area.”
—Thambu David, MD, Professor and Head, Dept of Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
“The concept …is unique. The content is very good.”
–David A. Lane, M.D., Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Washington DC
“An easy-to-use, germane, well-organized book. It allows thumbing through to obtain specific guidance for specific problems in medical statistics.”
–Brian Nyquist, M.D., Chief of Anesthesiology, Bremerton Naval Hospital, Bremerton WA
“One common annoyance in the lives of researchers is the attempt to ferret out details of a statistical test from a textbook. This book gives the details a busy researcher need [in a single section], with assumptions, sufficient detail, and several worked examples.”
–Bruce Boynton, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego
“I remember statistics in medical school in most unfavorable terms. That nightmare text has long been relegated to a dusty box in the garage. Now, enter Dr. Riffenburgh’s textbook. This text is user friendly, laid out in a thoughtful fashion, has plenty of examples of how to apply all those mysterious tests, and is complete enough for the hard core bioresearcher. Bravo!”
–Richard Hill, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Irvine
“…an excellent job…without fear or confusion. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any professional, novice or seasoned, as a tool for success in the research process. Members of my research team are using this book with ease and confidence. Thank you, Dr. Riffenburgh, for making a painful process very enjoyable and empowering!”
–Peggy McNulty, R.N., CAPT, USN, Naval Hospital Okinawa, Japan
Abstracts of Forewords
(Affiliations as of when foreword was written)
Foreword to the 1st Edition:
Vice Admiral Richard A. Nelson, M.D., USN
Surgeon General of the Navy
Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
We have a critical obligation not only to care for our patients, but also to assess thoroughly our decisions on therapy, treatments effects, and outcomes. Scientifically rigorous medical studies including sound statistical analyses are central to this process. In recent years, statistical analysis has become the hallmark of studies appearing in the leading journals.
This book represents a practical opportunity for health care trainees and staff not only to acquaint themselves with statistics in medicine and understand statistical analysis in the medical literature, but also to be guided in the application of planning and analysis in their own medical studies.
Foreword to the 2nd Edition:
W. M. (Mike) O’Fallon, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic,
& Chair, Department of Health Science Research
Past President, American Statistical Association
To refer to the last century as revolutionary in the statistical world would be a gross understatement. I believe the effects of this revolution are more profound in the world of medicine and other health-related sciences than in most scientific disciplines.
Dr. Riffenburgh addresses just this problem in his successful book on statistics in medicine [presenting] statistics in language accessible to health care practitioners so that they could effectively understand and communicate statistical information.
Foreword to the 3rd Edition:
P. A. (Tony) Lachenbruch, Ph.D.
Professor of Public Health, Oregon State Univ.
Past President, American Statistical Association
Past President, International Biometric Society
Elected Member, International Statistics Institute
The Third Edition of Statistics in Medicine provides a wonderful pathway for people to learn those methods (about 30% according to the author) used in 90% of all [medical] statistical analyses. The message is clear: most statistical applications are conducted with a relatively few procedures and these are all covered in this book.
Foreword to the 4th Edition:
Jessica Utts, Ph.D
Professor Emerita of Statistics, Univ. of California Irvine
Past President, American Statistical Association
Past President, International Biometric Society WNAR
Whether you are a medical practitioner, a student studying medicine, or a lay person who wants to understand research about your own health issues or those of a loved one, this book will guide you through what you need to know to understand medical research results. If you are a practicing medical researcher, this book will provide you with the tools, vocabulary, and understanding needed to work collaboratively with a professional statistician. While it may seem like there are too many statistical methods to cover in one book of this nature, the fact is that a large majority of medical studies use just a small handful of common methods, all covered in this book.
