Real-World Application of Statistics
Statistics are utilized in many disciplines in the real world to review existing data and predict future trends. For example, statistical analysis plays a significant role in healthcare – various calculations can be applied in research, global surveys, and other contexts (Illowsky & Dean, 2020). A vital implementation is studying population health data that shows how certain conditions affect different groups.
Cancer Statistics and Health Disparities as a Case Study
Siegel et al. (2023) present statistics on cancer, an annual report that tracks new cases, deaths, and the effectiveness of treatments. In 2023, some types of cancer increased while others decreased, and the researchers established that health disparities continued to grow among different populations. In particular, race plays a role in people’s access to cancer treatments. At the same time, gender comparison reveals a higher incidence of cancer among females due to growing uterine and breast cancer rates (Siegel et al., 2023). Therefore, statistics help healthcare policymakers, providers, and advocates support their activities.
Use of Median and Range in Cancer Data Analysis
In these and other calculations, the researchers utilize concepts such as median and range. For instance, Siegel et al. (2023) use the median household income to determine the prevalence of cancer and the risk of a fatal outcome for different income groups. The range is used to compare the findings in various states. According to the article, vaccination rates against cancer-causing human papillomavirus in Mississippi among teenagers are at 32%, while reaching 83% in Rhode Island (Siegel et al., 2023). Such a significant difference in data reveals that some states lack the necessary tools and policies to support vaccination.
The Role of Statistics in Healthcare Policy and Decision-Making
In the case of the selected article, statistics act as evidence that change is necessary. This data is used in policy creation, reports by national and international organizations, and other research investigating the issues in more detail. Overall, statistics in healthcare act as a foundation for all other processes that involve politics, economics, and studies.
References
Illowsky, B., & Dean, S. (2020). Statistics. OpenStax.
Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., Wagle, N. S., & Jemal, A. (2023). Cancer statistics, 2023. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 73(1), 17-48.