Statistics has received little attention in medicine, even though it is essential knowledge for healthcare practitioners. It is necessary to have a strong grasp of statistical vocabulary, including concepts like mean, median, mode, and average, to stand in a better position to provide evidence-based medical care (Navida state college, 2020). When examining healthcare research or consulting journals and novels on best practices and therapies for patient care, nurses must also comprehend statistical principles like validity, reliability, and significance (Navida state college, 2020). The discussion in this paper is to determine the importance of statics concepts in healthcare.
Health statistics are used to understand community risk factors better, track and monitor illness progression, analyze the impact of policy changes, and evaluate the quality and safety of health treatment. Healthcare practitioners often use statistics to inform patients about the risks and adverse consequences of particular therapies and procedures (National library of medicine, n.d). Careers in nursing and healthcare research also require a strong background in statistics. Designing studies that gauge certain factors and patient outcomes is within the purview of nurse researchers. Understanding when research findings are statistically significant and applicable to particular groups of people, the ability to read and interpret nursing and medical research findings is important (National library of medicine, n.d). Healthcare professionals must also know how to use the correct statistical methods to report their findings. Additionally, having a solid understanding of statistics can aid nurse researchers in identifying and analyzing patterns in healthcare data that can be used to enhance patient care and save costs.
An area in my specialty that applies statistical concepts is offering evidence-based medicine to patients. A classic example is the prevention and treatment of cancer. Through statistical evidence, conclusions, recommendations, prevention, or treatment can be made based on facts. I intend to employ the most recent and current research and evidence material on cancer prevention and treatment to provide patients with preventative measures and tailored therapy. I want to provide fact-based teachings about the risks and side effects of specific treatments and procedures of cancer treatment to patients.
References
National library of medicine. (n.d.). About health statistics. Web.
Navida state college. (2020). Why nurses need statistics. Web.