A cross-sectional assessment of statistical knowledge among pharmacy faculty.
Publication/Presentation Date
8-1-2019
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The debate about the optimal level of research methods incorporated in doctor of pharmacy curricula is ongoing. Yet relatively little has been published about the research-based knowledge of the faculty in these programs. This study seeks to assess pharmacy faculty members' knowledge of fundamental statistical concepts.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey included a random sample of US-based pharmacy schools. Invitations were sent to faculty in each selected pharmacy school to participate in the online survey comprised of demographic questions and a multiple-choice statistics knowledge assessment covering eight fundamental biostatistics concepts. Each question had three answer options, with an additional fourth 'opt-out' option for those wishing to avoid guessing.
RESULTS: The random sample of selected pharmacy schools resulted in email invitations sent to 2036 faculty from 30 pharmacy schools. The final study sample consisted of 139 pharmacy faculty members with a mean of 10.2 years of experience as a faculty member. Over 95% of pharmacy faculty reported that they read peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, while nearly 99% said the understanding of statistics was either 'somewhat important' (35%) or 'very important' (64%) in their role as a researcher. Pharmacy faculty achieved a mean of 5.1 correct responses out of eight knowledge-based questions.
CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacy faculty provided correct responses to 64% of the items about fundamental statistical concepts. These study results are useful for making decisions about biostatistics education and curriculum content, particularly as pharmacy programs continue to incorporate a prominent role for research.
Volume
11
Issue
8
First Page
793
Last Page
801
ISSN
1877-1300
Published In/Presented At
Jiroutek, M. R., Kim, M., Hayat, M. J., Taylor, M. N., & Schwartz, T. A. (2019). A cross-sectional assessment of statistical knowledge among pharmacy faculty. Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning, 11(8), 793–801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2019.04.007
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
PubMedID
31227194
Department(s)
Department of Pharmacy
Document Type
Article