Medical statistics in the R software environment

Authors: Goran Trajković, Zoran Bukumirić
Publisher: Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 2019
ISNB 978-86-7117-572-2

The book Medical Statistics in the R Software Environment, written by Trajković G. and Bukumirić Z., published by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Belgrade, is a publication of essential value for graduate education as well as for research efforts in the area of medicine and health sciences. In a professional and straightforward manner, the authors, who are recognized experts in the area of medical statistics and informatics, provide the readers with an opportunity for active learning whilst resolving real problems, step by step, in the R software environment. The main chapters are - Medical Statistics (describing different statistical methods, explaining results analysis and interpretation) and R Software Environment (all examples are carried out in R software, with detailed explanations for code writing and visualization, which enables easy use). The authors’ goal was not to present all the possibilities of the R software, rather its practical application in the resolution of real problems in the area of medical statistics and graphic data representation.

In contemporary life, statistical methodology is a part of general education, one could say general knowledge, as, in every profession, one encounters situations where knowledge of certain basic key statistical concepts, and especially of the statistical way of thinking, is necessary. The application of different statistical software tools helps us in the application of statistical methods. One of the statistical software tools applied more and more frequently in medicine is the R programming language and environment, which is the most comprehensive statistical software tool that enables the analysis of standard and advanced techniques, and which has the most advanced graphic solutions for the visualization of complex data. This publication is intended, not only for people encountering the R programming language environment, as well as the application of statistical methods, for the first time, but also for experienced users.

The chapters of the book have been designed to cover the theoretical bases as well as the practical application of statistical procedures through the R software environment:

• The chapter R Software Environment contains instructions on the installation and the bases for the application of this statistical software tool.

• The chapter The Development and Documenting of the Database contains information on the method of organizing collected data into a form appropriate for subsequent analysis in the R software environment.

• The chapters that follow are related to statistical description and data analysis: Descriptive Statistics; Analysis of Empirical Distributions; Graphic Presentation of Data and Results of Applied Statistical Analyses; Sample Based Assessment of Population Parameters; Testing Hypotheses for Distributions, Arithmetic Means and Medians.

• The book also includes chapters related to more complex statistical analyses, i.e., statistical modelling, and the method of their execution in this statistical program: Testing Relationships amongst Variables; General Linear Models; and Association Control.

• The terms of validity and reliability of measurement, as well as the performance of diagnostic tests, are dealt with within the chapter Measurement Adequacy.

• Within the chapter Meta-analysis, the procedures of collating the published results, as well as their modelling, through meta-regression, are presented.

A particular quality of the publication is its concept and its distinctive design. Within this publication, the authors have also offered databases and R scripts with commands for solving all the examples. In this way, the users can repeat analysis, step by step, and have access to complete output results in the digital – electronic environment. Databases and R scripts can be downloaded from the publication webpage: http://cibid.med.bg.ac.rs/publikacije/med.stat.R.

Furthermore, the authors have achieved additional value with their concise, understandable and clear writing style, while the existing knowledge on the application of statistical methods and their execution with the use of the R software environment has been presented systematically, in logical order. The author’s texts are the result of their many years of research and professional work, which has been tested by multiple generations of students at a number of different faculties. The publication is original and its scientific and expert contribution is evident, which is what makes it an essential part of any specialized library and an important reference which, not only university students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but also researchers in the field of medicine and health sciences, as well as doctors of all specialties, can always go back to and rely on.

The publication came out of print after the sudden death of one of the authors, Professor Goran Trajković, PhD, who continues, in this way, to generously share his knowledge.

Belgrade, 25.05.2021.

THE AUTHORS

1. Trajković Goran – medical statistics and informatics specialist, associate professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Institute of Medical Statistics and Informatics

2. Bukumirić Zoran – medical statistics and informatics specialist, assistant professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Institute of Medical Statistics and Informatics