Abstract

Today, most medical research depends on statistics, and interpreting these is crucial as the world tries to improve health outcomes. Medical students are at the front line in this effort but many have negative attitudes toward statistics. To assess this and offer recommendations, this study evaluates the attitudes of medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, toward statistics in medical research. The factors of sex, age, and program year are analyzed. In total, 327 medical students completed the Attitudes Toward Statistics in Medical Research survey. The results show that students somewhat appreciate the value of statistics in their professional careers but have negative to neutral feelings toward statistics, their own intellectual knowledge and skills in statistics, and the difficulty of the subject. Males show more positive attitudes than females, while students 23 or older perceive statistics as more difficult, and have more negative feelings toward statistics than younger students. No effect is found for the program year. To address this situation, medical educators should design courses in medical statistics that stimulate student understanding in this field, emphasizing its importance. Innovative methods of delivering course material should be explored to improve students’ sense of competency. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

摘要

今天，大多数医学研究都依赖于统计数据，在世界试图改善健康结果的过程中，解释这些数据至关重要。医学生在这项工作中处于前线，但许多人对统计数据持消极态度。为了评估这一点并提供建议，本研究评估了沙特阿拉伯利雅得的医学生对医学研究统计数据的态度。分析了性别、年龄和项目年份的因素。共有 327 名医学生完成了“医学研究中的统计态度”调查。结果表明，学生在一定程度上欣赏统计学在其职业生涯中的价值，但对统计学、自己的统计学知识和技能以及学科难度有负面或中性的感觉。男性比女性表现出更积极的态度，而 23 岁或 23 岁以上的学生认为统计更难，对统计的负面情绪比年轻学生更多。没有发现对计划年度的影响。为了解决这种情况，医学教育者应该设计医学统计课程，以激发学生对该领域的理解，强调其重要性。应探索课程材料的创新方法，以提高学生的能力感。本文的补充材料可在线获取。医学教育者应设计医学统计课程，以激发学生对该领域的理解，并强调其重要性。应探索课程材料的创新方法，以提高学生的能力感。本文的补充材料可在线获取。医学教育者应设计医学统计课程，以激发学生对该领域的理解，并强调其重要性。应探索课程材料的创新方法，以提高学生的能力感。本文的补充材料可在线获取。