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J. Walker, and P. Almond Interpreting statistical findings – a guide for health professionals and students. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education, McGraw-Hill House. 214 pp. ISBN-13: 978-033523597-1, 10: 033523597-2.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2011

Fiona Warburton
Fiona Warburton*
Affiliation:
Senior lecturer in Quantitative Research Methods & Statistics, School of Community & Health Sciences, City University London, 20 Bartholomew Close, London, UK
*
Email: Fiona.Warburton.1@city.ac.uk
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Type
Book Review
Information
Primary Health Care Research & Development , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , 05 January 2012 , pp. 101
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

This book is aimed at health-care students and those working in the medical field who need to be able to interpret statistical analysis. The book is in four parts.

Part 1 consists of two worked examples – a published Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) and a Health Survey. The worked examples are used to show the reader how to present the statistical data and what information needs to be given when writing about each of these types of study. Useful notes are also given on what to look out for when reviewing an article that has used one of these study designs.

Part 2 looks at different types of data, summarising data, statistical distributions, reliability and validity, sampling, sample size and P-values.

Part 3 covers statistical tests and looks at what tests should be used in what situation and how to interpret and present the results. Parts 2 and 3 provide an easily understandable guide to basic statistics, with lots of real and practical examples taken from the medical literature to aid understanding.

Part 4 is a quick reference guide that includes a glossary of statistical terms and an overview of commonly used statistical tests and their assumptions and a summary of when to use them.

The emphasis of the book is on understanding what are the correct statistics to use and how to interpret and present the results in a clear and meaningful way. This is done through the use of examples taken from the medical literature, making it easy to follow and understand. This book will be useful to anyone working in the medical field who needs to understand statistics.