Clinical Pharmacist’s Guide to Biostatistics and Literature Evaluation

Edited by: Robert DiCenzo, Pharm.D., FCCP, BCPS

Whether you are interpreting the medical literature to optimize patient care, improve health outcomes, or generate hypothesis for research, an understanding of biostatistics is essential for success. Despite exposure to biostatistics in undergraduate and professional education, pharmacists tend to be less confident in their knowledge of biostatistics and their ability to interpret the medical literature than in their clinical skills.

This guide, designed to support pharmacists’ preparation for the Pharmacotherapy and Ambulatory Care Pharmacy specialty certification examinations, provides a concise overview of biostatistics and its application to literature evaluation and patient care.

Contents include:

• Section I: Basics of Biostatistics and Statistical Tests
  • Basics of Biostatistics
  • Choosing the Appropriate Statistical Test
• Section II: Literature Interpretation and Application to Patient Care
  • Interpreting Results from Clinical Trials
  • Pharmacoepidemiology

Features of this guide include:

• A table of helpful equations
• A selected bibliography
• Self-assessment questions designed to test one’s mastery of the material
• Answers to the self-assessment questions with detailed explanations and additional references

More information on this guide may be found here.