Medical Biostatistics as a Science of Managing Medical Uncertainties

Biostatistics is generally understood as the branch of statistics that deals with data relating to biological processes. While this remains the core of biostatistics activities, medical biostatistics has additional features. It is rarely realized that the ultimate function of medical biostatistics is to manage medical uncertainties, particularly those that are data based. We propose to define medical biostatistics as the science of managing empirical uncertainties in health and medicine. This definition describes the subject more appropriately and has the potential to put it on a pedestal it deserves because of its focus on medical aspects. This note provides the rationale for this proposal.