ConsultStat

Admin would like to recommend this kdrama to all researchers struggling to complete their statistical analysis. Trust me, statistics is much easier than the wait for the next episode.

When you’re fundraising, it’s Artificial Intelligence. When you’re hiring, it’s Machine Learning. When you’re implementing, it’s just the good old logistic regression.

Now, when should you approach your friendly neighbourhood statistician for help with your clinical study or postgraduate (master’s) thesis?

A. When you reach your data analysis stage
B. When you start your data collection phase
C. When you are designing and formulating your study proposal
D. When you need to submit your final manuscript next week

Now, I certainly hope that most of you opted for the answer C. It’s true that most people will gravitate towards option A or B but I will tell you why that might turn out to be a horrible decision in regards to your research. And if you have picked option D, well, what can I say..YOLO!!

So, why is it important to seek out a statistician during the initial planning phase of your clinical study? (This is assuming of course that you require the help of a statistician. For those who are well initiated with the quantitative aspect of your study, do move along as you certainly do not need us. )

Trust me when I say a biostatistician will be involve in every part of your clinical study from the planning stage up till the end of your manuscript writing phase especially if quantitative issues are involved. Without a doubt, you are the captain of your vessel. But think of the biostatistician as your helmsman, whom guides your ship in the direction that you wish to head to.

A quick list of the top of my mind on which aspects that a biostatistician may contribute to:

1. Sample size calculation
2. Methodology
3. Randomization (assuming it’s a RCT)
4. Dummy table for data analysis
5. Interim analysis (if required)
6. ..
Sorry but I am literally listing nearly every important parts of a clinical study. In essence, a short meet-up with a biostatistician as early as possible will certainly save you a lot of your time, resources and a bunch of headaches.

Merry Xmas everyone. May your data is normally distributed and p value turns out to be less than 0.05. Happy holidays to those who are not celebrating!