Attitudes of Medical Students Toward Statistics in Medical Research: Evidence From Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Today, most medical research depends on statistics, and interpreting these is crucial as the world tries to improve health outcomes. Medical students are at the front line in this effort but many have negative attitudes toward statistics. To assess this and offer recommendations, this study evaluates the attitudes of medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, toward statistics in medical research. The factors of sex, age, and program year are analyzed. In total, 327 medical students completed the Attitudes Toward Statistics in Medical Research survey. The results show that students somewhat appreciate the value of statistics in their professional careers but have negative to neutral feelings toward statistics, their own intellectual knowledge and skills in statistics, and the difficulty of the subject. Males show more positive attitudes than females, while students 23 or older perceive statistics as more difficult, and have more negative feelings toward statistics than younger students. No effect is found for the program year. To address this situation, medical educators should design courses in medical statistics that stimulate student understanding in this field, emphasizing its importance. Innovative methods of delivering course material should be explored to improve students’ sense of competency. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Keywords

• medical educators
• medical student competency
• statistics course material