Students' perceptions of biostatistics following integration into an evidence-based medicine course series

Student pharmacists are expected to demonstrate an understanding of commonly employed statistical tests. This study describes the integration of biostatistics in an evidence-based medicine course series using a learner-centered model tailored to students' needs and interests.

This course series included thirteen two-hour biostatistics sessions focused on interpreting results and critiquing statistical methods. Three lab sessions were also included, which focused on producing summary reports from clinical data. Journal club presentations were the key method of assessing knowledge. A survey to evaluate students' perceptions of the course and their level of confidence in applying biostatistical concepts was administered twice to measure change over time within two student cohorts.

Results of the survey showed that a significantly higher proportion of students agreed they understood the analyses covered in class (97% vs. 44%, p < 0.001) and felt more confident interpreting results (82% vs. 41%, p < 0.001) in their third year compared to the second year. Students who agreed that they learned important skills for future practice had a significantly higher mean exam score (82.5% vs. 76.2%, p = 0.001).

The results indicate an improvement in the students' perceptions over time with regards to knowledge and usefulness of the course content. Although, integrating biostatistics in a literature-evaluation course is common, this is the first study that evaluated teaching it in more than one semester beyond inclusion in assessment rubrics.