Biostatistics: The Bare Essentials with SPSS

by Geoffrey R. Norman

The previous edition of Bare Essentials presented hierarchical linear modeling, which first appeared in psychology journals and has only recently been described in the medical literature. The 3rd edition also introduced a chapter on testing for equivalence and non-inferiority as well as a chapter with information for getting started with the computer statistics program SPSS. A very positive review of the 3rd edition of the book by Dr. Naomi Vaisrub appeared in JAMA which praised the book but recommended covering topics in epidemiology, so in the 4th edition the authors took her up on it. They've also included an entirely new chapter, called "Measures of Impact," in which they discuss measures of incidence and prevalence, risk, morbidity and fatality rates, and the number needed to treat. They also delve into the Poisson distribution for doing regressions on count data. Likewise, the reader will find new sections on robust estimators of the mean, the problems of multiple hypothesis testing, bootstrapping and resampling, as well as an expanded section on nonparametric stats. Free of calculations and jargon, Bare Essentials speaks so plainly that you won't need a technical dictionary. The focus is on the concepts, not the math. The objective is to enable you to determine whether the research results are applicable to your own patients. Throughout, you'll find highlights of areas in which researchers misuse or misinterpret statistical tests. The authors have labeled these "C.R.A.P. Detectors" (Convoluted Reasoning and Anti- Intellectual Pomposity), and they help you identify faulty methodology and misuse of statistics.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science

422 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

About the author

Dr. Norman's academic interests focus on the psychology of expertise particularly as applied to expert clinicians. His research is focused on the psychology of clinical reasoning, particularly in the relative contribution of rapid processing based on prior experience (so-called pattern recognition) and analytical rules, and educational strategies to improve reasoning. Additionally, he has strengths and interests in measurement and statistics. Other research interests include methods of student assessment, and psychometric methods.

Reviews

[Michael Battistone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure--I did NOT read every word (or every page, or even every chapter) in this book, but it was required for a course I have just completed, and I did read all the assigned sections, passed the class, so...I'm counting it in my "read" cohort! This was the first stats course I have ever taken; I thought the book was excellent at the beginning, but got very advanced (for me) very quickly. Again, the first chapters were excellent--particularly the first one, which addressed some practical tips regarding the use of graphs when presenting results. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book (if you are going to be using this in work).

[Purple · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not your typical text. It is written in an engaging way with amusing side notes. The main text serves as a good reference, especially for college students taking an introductory course in Biostatistics. In my experience as a student, I did not rely heavily on this book and eventually got familiar with the much denser class assigned text.

[shainur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago as a student and started rereading as a practicing professional. The second read has been so informative. I find myself paying attention to nuances that I missed before. Excellent book, and the authors’ humourous examples make the key messages stick!

[Samhita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever, nuanced with amusing side notes and stories - this textbook does a fantastic job of introducing and exploring the different aspects of biostatistics in an easily digestible and comprehensible manner.

[Olivia Caciuleanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stick a fork in me, cause I'm done.

[Sergio Uribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

El mejor libro de introducción a la bioestadística. No solo explica con claridad los conceptos más complicados y las bases del razonamiento estadístico, sino que está plagado de buen humor.

Si buscas algo más breve, el PDQ Statistics With CDROM es la versión resumida.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fantastic book for anyone working in public health statistics. My Epidemiology II teacher recommending this book to me and I loved it so much I took it all the way to Thailand with me in my overstuffed suitcase. Who knew anyone could make biostats this amusing.

[loafingcactus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even with all the cutesy stuff, I had a difficult time following it.