The Views of Academic Staff on Biostatistics Education in Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the level of importance, adequacy and need of biostatistics and biostatistics education regarding health sciences in Turkey. METHODOLOGY: Within the scope of the study a survey (questionnaire) was applied to a total of 237 academicians (academicians holding various titles employed by different departments) officiating at medical, veterinary medicine and health sciences faculties of six universities (Afyon Kocatepe, Gazi, Ankara, Hacettepe, Marmara ve Düzce) in Turkey. With this survey were taken views of academics on the status of the training they had received regarding biostatistics, their need for biostatistics education, the importance of biostatistics education and its level of adequacy, the source and adequacy of current information on biostatistics, the solutions to meet biostatistics needs and the statistical techniques which were required. RESULTS: According to the results, 27.8% of the participants have not received biostatistics education. It was determined that the importance of biostatistics education was emphasized as "very and exactly important" by 88.19% of the participants. 14.35% of the participants reported that biostatistics education was far from adequate for post graduate. They needed biostatistics knowledge mainly in the analysis of researches data (χ̄=4.01). On the other hand, they met biostatistics knowledge needs mostly by "help from friends". CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that most of the academicians found biostatistics education important but claimed it had been inadequate. They emphasized the need for the organization of courses, seminars, etc. regarding biostatistics at sufficient intervals. As a consequence of that, this study reveals the importance of biostatistics and biostatistics education once again in the data analysis process in health sciences.