British Journal of Radiology 75 (2002),569 © 2002 The British Institute of Radiology
Making sense of Statistics in Healthcare. By A Hart, pp. vi+162, 2001 (Radcliffe Medical Press Ltd, Oxford, UK), £19.95 ISBN 1 85775 472 7
J Hughes
As the title states, this is a text targeted at those who need to understand published research and statistical data. As such, it could have been presented as an A–Z of statistics; there is a glossary provided. However, that would demean the added value of the text as it may also be of use to those who are preparing for their own research.
None of the sections are particularly long and each may be studied in isolation. However, there is constant reference to previous sections, indicating that a cover-to-cover approach might be appropriate for those embarking on their research. This is not necessarily a daunting task; 150 pages interspersed with graphs, tables, lists and the odd cartoon. The writing style is relatively light (for statistical texts), is not overly technical and is suitable either for those with a little understanding or those who wish to refresh their knowledge.
The text does not explore any advanced statistical methods and is devoid of formulae; the emphasis is on explaining essential foundation principles, which it does well. The explanation of some of the basic statistical processes is straightforward and in many cases reference to selected study material, to emphasize key points, is useful. The full studies, many from the British Medical Journal, are available on the internet. Perhaps the title of the final chapter Liaising with a statistician indicates the level of the text in that statistical tests are not explored in any detail within the book. However, this chapter does itemize key facts that would prepare the reader for such a meeting and an understanding of the whole text would ensure that the statistician was not speaking a foreign language.
