A view on conducting research and applications of biostatistics is

essential to under and post-graduate medical education as per medical

Assistant Professor of Statistics, Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health
Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract
Research is the main key method of the advancement of medical field. It is a continuous process and it gives the new and best method/way
of new treatment/way of medication in the medical field. It is an important and essential education method in the medical education
curriculum in India. Not only in India, doing research and submission it in a proper way or method is a mandatory procedure in the medical
education process in worldwide medical education. Anybody wants to prove their finding in medical or any other field then; they will do
some research with proper permission and procedure and submit their finding using by biostatistical tools and applications and to prove
scientifically in a proper way. Research is very much useful to find the consequences, and other information about Covid-19 pandemic to
doctors/scientist/health care providers’/policy makers/State and Central Governments to take necessary precautionary measures. Biostatistics
means the application of statistical tools to scientific research in health care related areas like medicine, biology, and public health. From
research only, one can prove or develop a new method or tools or procedure to a new area/field by using biostatistical tools or methods.
Research and applications of biostatistical tools are interrelated with each other. Without using of biostatistical tools, no one has to prove
their findings are scientifically. So, it is the back bone of any kind research/study. These two things are very important in our Indian medical
education/curriculum and other foreign countries also. So, in this short communication, I have to discuss about the needs and importance of
research and biostatistics concepts and its applications in the under graduate and post graduate medical education.

Keywords: medical education, medical curriculum, under and post graduate students, research, biostatistical tools, India

Article Summary: Submitted: 16-January-2022 Revised: 02-February-2022 Accepted: 20-March-2022 Published: 31-March-2022
Quick Response Code: This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the
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DOI: Corresponding Author: Dr. Senthilvel Vasudevan,
10.55349/ijmsnr.2022.211719 Assistant Professor of Statistics, Department of Pharmacy Practice,
College of Pharmacy, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health
Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Email ID: vasudevans@ksau-hs.edu.sa

Introduction
Nowadays, research is an important procedure in the medical curriculum in India. It gives the clear picture of the present scenario or situation.
The medical students are showing keen interest in doing their research in a European Island State. [1] In a review study by Stone et al. [2]
that the students were showing much interest to do their research in globally. Research is very useful and big challenges to conduct at the
time of Covid-19 pandemic. [3] All over the world all health care professionals, scientists and research scholars were conducted some studies
related to Covid-19 with the existing data in their respective hospitals and research institutes. By the research results only, all over the World
people had received the status of Covid-19 virus affect in first three months of the pandemic, information about in what way the virus was
spreading, symptoms, treatment methods and its severity in their own areas, district, states, country, neighborhood countries and in the rest
of the World. [4] Biostatistics is an important subject in the medical education curriculum. Because, the subject is very frequently used to
prove new findings and being using in the medical research. Biostatistics means expressing/explaining the medical data by using statistical
tools/methods. In this paper, I am discussing about the research, biostatistics, applications and its improvements in the medical and scientific
fields.

Need of the research in UG and PG medical studies: Research doing is an important practice in under graduate (UG) and post
graduate (PG) medical students. [5] If a student wants to do any small studies in the posted Rural Health Centre (or) in Urban Health Centre
as intern at the time of posted in the Department of Community Medicine as per National Medical Council, New Delhi. So, the concern

How to cite this article: Vasudevan S. A view on conducting research and applications of biostatistics is essential to under
and post-graduate medical education as per medical education curriculum in India. Int J Med Sci and Nurs Res 2022;2(1):17-19
Int J Sci and Med Res 2021;1(2):1–9

International Journal of Medical Sciences and Nursing Research 2022;2(1):17-19 Page No: 17
 Vasudevan S. A view on conducting research and applications of biostatistics is essential to under and post-graduate medical education

student will prepare one protocol and submitted to the Head of the How to write the recommendation for the study, limitations of the
Department of Community Medicine then, it will be scrutinized by the study (or) research, and (p). source of funding for the study (from the
HOD. Then, any necessary changes have to be done in the particular parent institution or from outside source), conflict of interest about
questionnaire then the research will be done by the concern Intern and the study and acknowledgement. These things are doing by the
submitted the final report and presented it in front of the teaching staff irrespective of the biostatistician of their concern medical institution.
of the department. Moreover, the UG students are dividing into 4 groups If a UG medical students had keen knowledge in doing research types
as 25 students and involved in each group and choose separate research and its methodology, then the student he/she has to shine very well in
title to each group, supervised by teaching staffs per group, PG medical his/her PG studies. [7, 8] Doing research and submitting the thesis
students and Interns. Each group of students are presenting their research work in PG medical studies is mandatory as per Indian medical
results in front of all students, students and principal. Finally, the best education curriculum and National Medial Council. [5, 6]
research group will be selected as a first prize and that group will be
appreciated by the HOD and teaching staff with a shield. This type of These things are very important to the medical students in their
research is called as “Research Oriented Medical Education Program education. Then, only they will get the knowledge about “How to
(ROME)”. [6] PG students are preparing their protocols in respective of conduct a study in a hospital/community after finishing their
their specialties (MD/MS/DNB/fellowship/super specialty students). graduation?”. Then, only they are knowing about “How to calculate
Then the next step, the students have to present their protocols in front the prevalence, incidence, and what are all the risk factors for a
to Institutional Research Board and Institutional Ethical Committee for particular disease?”. This knowledge is very much essential to the
necessary corrections in their protocols. This procedure is following each and every new physician to become a successful medical
compulsory on the PG student’s thesis protocols by each and every practitioner in their field/career. [9] Then only they are giving a good
medical college in all over India. After this process, the concern service to our Indians and wise versa. In a study by Basakran et al.
specialty` students have to start their research and every 6 months the PG [10] has revealed that the perceptions of research among UG medical
medical students have to present their research improvement in front of students had positive changes in their PG medical studies.
the IRB and get their approval. If any problem in the student’s research,
then the IRB has to change the title of their research or to reduce the Need of the subject Biostatistics and its applications in UG
sample size for rare cases (or) to some PG medical students if it is and PG medical studies:
necessary. After finishing their PG thesis with the help of guide,
institutional biostatistician for data analysis, results writing, Any data in the medical filed, the biostatistical tools are essential.
interpretations and submitted to their concern departments with the Then, only the severity of a disease/method/treatment will be very
institution prescribed format in a particular time period which was clearly explained in a simple manner to the lay-man also. This subject
designed by their respective medical institution. Then, the final approval knowledge is very important and useful to the under graduate and post
will be given to the concern PG medical student and mark will be graduate medical students to their exams, practical and in their
awarded based on their performance. research/studies. [6, 11] If a UG medical student has to train in using
of the application of statistical tools (analysis), then only he can
Importance of the research in UG and PG medical studies: perform well and they have to know what type of higher level of
statistics is to be used in the appropriate places of their research or in
Doing research in the UG and PG medical students is an important step higher medical studies like Post-graduate /fellowship /DNB /Ph.D
in their education. Because, by this only they will have to come to know /M.Ch and other higher study courses. If they know well about the
the steps involving in the research methodology. The following things biostatistics tools and its applications in the correct way like when
would be learned by the medical students: (a). How to frame the and where the appropriate statistical analysis/methods to be used, then
research topic/question for their study? (b). How to form the they will have to do their data analysis for their thesis themselves.
questionnaire for their particular study? (c). How to find the sample They will get promptness/self-confidence in their graduation thesis/in
size with the existing literature for their study? (d). How to collect the medical education and they will be success in their research or to find
data for their study (like select the study area, study population, study new procedure or treatment in present medical field. The UG and PG
period, study variables, equipment/study tool (measurable items or students will become a good researcher and will produce a greater
questionnaire), sample size calculation, how to proceed the particular number of good research in their medical field. [12, 13, 14]
study, what are all the statistical analysis (t-test, chi-square/Fisher’s
Exact test, ANOVA, etc., has to be used when and where?) (e). How to Importance of the application of Biostatistics in Medical
ask the questions with the public/community people? (f). How to enter fields:
the data in the Microsoft Excel Sheet? (g). How to analyze the collected In an article I had explained elaborately about the training of research
data using SPSS software? (h). How to write the results for the analyzed methodology, data analysis and writing the results to the analyzed
results with Confidence Interval? (i). How to interpret the results and data to the each and every batch of UG medical students. [6, 14, and
write the conclusion from the results; (j). How to presented the analyzed 15] In India, all medical colleges, the subject biostatistics is teaching
results through tables like., Simple table, and Complex tables), diagrams by a Biostatistician/Statistician. Biostatisticians are teaching the
like., pictorial diagram, Simple bar diagram, Multiple bar diagram, Sub- research methodology to the UG and PG medical students through
divided bar diagram, pie diagram, line diagram and etc.? (k). How fix workshop in second- and third-years students. The medical students
the level of significance for their study? (l). How to choose the have trained in a good way in biostatistics and its applications, then
keywords for their research? (m). How to write the ethical clearance only they are using the knowledge of statistics in their future higher
statement? (n). How to write the results and interpretations, discussion – studies and to their research/PG thesis preparation time. Hence, the
How to compare with the previous published articles with their present knowledge of applying biostatistical tools/methods in research [15] is
study results and write the discussion? and conclusion from the results an essential part in the UG and PG medical Studies in India and all
of their particular study. (o). How to write the references to a particular over the world.

International Journal of Medical Sciences and Nursing Research 2022;2(1):17-19 Page No: 18
 Vasudevan S. A view on conducting research and applications of biostatistics is essential to under and post-graduate medical education

Conclusion
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