Collaboration among emergency medicine physician researchers and statisticians: resources and attitudes.
We examined the statistical resources within emergency medicine residency programs, and the attitudes of emergency medicine physician researchers toward activities wherein collaboration with a statistician is useful. Anonymous surveys were mailed to 104 emergency medicine physician researchers (1/program). Sixty-four (62%) responses were analyzed. Sixty-seven percent of respondents were their program's research director. Their highest level of statistical training was self-taught/nondegree course work for 88% of respondents. Forty-two percent said they were the person used most often by their program for statistical expertise. One-quarter of programs employed a full-time statistician. Collaboration among researchers and statisticians was considered sometimes or always useful for protocol development (aims 84%, design 99%, outcomes 99%, procedures 73%, sampling 97%, inclusion criteria 93%, number of subjects 100%); data entry 73%; statistical analysis 100%; and manuscript preparation 86%. Although most emergency medicine residencies lacked statistical resources within their program, physician researchers expressed positive attitudes toward collaboration with a statistician for all aspects of research.
Buderer
N M
NM
Research Department, St Vincent Mercy Medical Center, Toledo, OH 43608, USA.
Plewa
M C
MC
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011361:Professional Competence; D012108:Research Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000193:education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires