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Open Access 01-12-2020 | Debate

Why do you need a biostatistician?

Authors: Antonia Zapf, Geraldine Rauch, Meinhard Kieser

Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology | Issue 1/2020

Abstract

The quality of medical research importantly depends, among other aspects, on a valid statistical planning of the study, analysis of the data, and reporting of the results, which is usually guaranteed by a biostatistician. However, there are several related professions next to the biostatistician, for example epidemiologists, medical informaticians and bioinformaticians. For medical experts, it is often not clear what the differences between these professions are and how the specific role of a biostatistician can be described. For physicians involved in medical research, this is problematic because false expectations often lead to frustration on both sides. Therefore, the aim of this article is to outline the tasks and responsibilities of biostatisticians in clinical trials as well as in other fields of application in medical research.

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Title: Why do you need a biostatistician?
Authors: Antonia Zapf
Geraldine Rauch
Meinhard Kieser
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2288
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-020-0916-4

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