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Customer Reviews (34)

excellent for clinicians
First off, if you do not want to pay $50 for this book, search the Internet for used copies of the 1st edition. I got mine for $13 at Barnes and Nobles. I have not read the 2nd edition, but I doubt much has changed in statistics over the last 15 years so I assume they are pretty much the same.

This is an excellent review for clinicians who read a lot of journals and clinical trials. I've read other statistics books and they tend to be written more for students who have to perform calculations on tests. This book sticks more to concepts and stays away from formulas - most of which only mathematicians would truly understand. After reading this book, I feel I can better evaluate a clinical trial.

Commercialism or advancement of statistics?
I teach a Biostatistics class at university, and choose a textbook which explains statistics without too much involvement in math. I had so much high expectation for the 2nd ed, and decided to use it without any hesitation because in my opinion, the 1st ed was the best textbook for my students. In the past few weeks, I am creating lecture notes based on chapeters on the 2nd ed, and I got lost so many time. The textbook became too wordy, and much information is repeated at different pages (448 pages in 48 chapters compared to 306 pages in 37 chapters in the 1st ed). I liked the 1st ed format and organization much better than the 2nd ed. I probably go back to the 1st ed. to teach the class for the following year. Lastly, our instition is still an old school and uses SPSS(PASW) for students and faculty. I did not know that Dr. Motulsky founded the GraphPad Software, Inc. While the Prism offers some superiority over other statistical software, our instituion is not a stage of switching the statistical software. The promostion of this textbook sure helps the sale of Prism software, but I sadly felt this transition (of 1st to 2nd edition) as commercialism. I wish to read Dr. Motulsky's innovative statistical ideas in public domain journal articles at academic library.

(edit 8/20/10) Our instition will decide on buying the Prism licensure soon. I may have to teach both the PASW and Prism for the Applied Stat class, but the latter software seems to be more "intuitive" for the student use. This is an additional comment regarding to the 2nd ed. Thanks.

A great (p<0.0001) intro
This is a must for every medical student.For those engaging in research there is sufficient detail to be able to apply the correct statistical technique and to interpret the results.For the rest it gives a very clear introduction to biostatistics and particularly aids understanding of research articles without which a doctor will quickly lose touch with evidence based medicine.

For the scientist and science student I would recommend this as an adjunct to any statistical course and as a reference to have on hand when reading those articles.I regularly picked up the first edition to check I was understanding something correctly - this edition is an order of magnitude better.

Jargon free statistics
This book fills a gap in the market of books for statistics. The book focuses on the application of statistical procedures, rather than the mathematics of the various tests. The book is written in a non-complicated, conversational way and is filled with interesting examples. The author is able to make a potentially complicated topic, easy to understand and logical. This book is a must for any postgraduate student/professional scientist who uses statistics.

Excellent book on biostatistics
This is a first-rate book on biostatistics. Strongly recommended for physicians and others who read and must make sense of the biomedical literature. It should also be required reading for scientists who are publishing biomedical research, preferably early in their careers when they are still impressionable. Clearly shows the strengths and limitations of statistics in interpreting research results. Does a great job on the ever-present problem of multiple comparisons and retrospective data torture. Other texts are cookbooks which show you how to perform various statistical tests, but ultimately it is far more important to understand the rationale behind statistical methodology and to see what statistical tests can--and can't--tell us. Enforces the notion that statistical tests have assumptions and describes when these assumptions can be violated and when such violations render the tests worthless. Debunks the notion that "statistical significance" is an absolute concept and shows how p<0.05 is a convention, and an arbitrary one at that. Nice section on the weakness of correlation coefficients for data which violate the assumptions of that test. Strong on applying Bayesian thinking to marginal p values. Points out the important distinction between clinical and statistical significance. All in all, a great book. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (15)

Great for pharmacy BCPS exam, too
I used this as a study guide for the pharmacy BCPS exam and it helped me tremendously.

Great Resource
I am a current medical student who had to "suffer" through the rigors of biostatistics! This book used simple language and relatable examples, that somehow managed to simplify a topic I usually find quite complicated. I not only benefited by doing extremely well on exams, but I am definitely more prepared to interpret medical papers and other types of applications where statistics can be purposefully misleading. I can say I feel comfortable with t-tests and chi-square analyses, when I used to be scared of the words. This book will provide you with a solid foundation of the basics, and then expand on some of the more complicated applications. Dr. Glaser has the unique perspective of being a practicing physican, who no only had to pass the medical boards, but who has to deal withmedical applications of statistics on a daily basis. This experience has obviously benefited his skillful delivery of the needed facts all medical students need to know; it will help you pass the STEP exams, and it will help you be a better doctor!

High-Yield Biostatistics worked for me
This was an easy to read, well organized review book.There are only 7 chapters so the reading goes by fast, and its easy to understand.Each chapter comes with a few practice questions to help review the subject material.There are a few typos in the book however, so be sure to look up and correct them if you buy the book.Other than that the book is great.I hope Dr. Glaser can put out a fourth edition to correct the errors, and also to keep up with the changing USMLE Boards.

What more could I ask for?
In the heap of time-consuming courses in medical school, having to take statistics seems like a pesky mosquito! In order to rock the boards, a good foundation and understanding of biostats is essential. However, for the most part, it's not the most interesting subject for most medical students and not considered as high-yield for the Step 1 exam.However, unlike most statistics books, which are incredibly intimidating, Dr. Glaser brings this intimidating subject on a nice platter for all to enjoy, even non-medical students.On top of which, I had the pleasure of being taught this course (which ends tomorrow with our Final exam) by Dr. Glaser! What an honor to be taught by the author of the book. He makes it all very interesting, as he is an excellent professor! Therefore, whether statistics is a subject of personal interest, or the necessary evil we must endure to do well on the Boards, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! It can be read in a day, in fact! Very helpful! Thank you Dr. Glaser! Now back to studying for that final...

Has some errors, and some areas are way to detailed for what you need for the USMLE
This book is advertised as being 128 pages, but it is actually only 104 pages (which includes 2 blank pages).There are some charts/graphs/tables that really aren't necessary for the book, but were probably added to try and pump up the page count.In reality, all the biostats you need could be covered in 50 pages or less (including some practice questions), but I suppose the author and publisher couldn't justify charging $29.95 for something that small.

Worst of all, I found a few errors.I'd list them here, but then I'd feel like I'm working for free for the author and publisher. ... Read more

Product Description
FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOSTATISTICS leads you through the methods, techniques, and computations necessary for success in the medical field. Every new concept is developed systematically through completely worked out examples from current medical research problems. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

So confusing
The school of public health just started using this book, switching from one a faculty member had written. One would assume that this new book would be clearer than the older one; not so. This book adds nothing to my understanding of biostats (which is dismally low) but adds to my frustration. I open the book and it literally is like reading a foreign language. Not to add that $150 is a lot to spend on a book that irritates me to no end. I understand that they may use this book in some of the great pubH programs, but that doesn't mean it is written well for those of us who are not statisticians.

Pricey, was not well packaged, but came in good condition
I wish the seller had packaged the book better.It was wrapped in brown paper.Thankfully it wasnt a rainy week! It came in good condition.. just as promised.

Foundations of Biostatistics
The book is in great condition and I received it within several days of my order!

Binding Issues
Bought the 7th edition hot off the press and started working through it today. Discovered that the pages 799 - 806 were binded upside down. How bizarre!

Quick Service
Received the book quickly. Everything is there. It was a little beat up but not in bad shape. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive user-friendly introduction to biostatistics and epidemiology applied to medicine, clinical practice, and research. Features Presenting Problems (case studies) drawn from studies published in the medical literature, end-of-chapter, and a CD-ROM with data sets and statistical software programs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Not helpful for beginners
This book does not provide the information I need to succeed in my introductory biostatisitics class.In my opinion, it is poorly written, full of errors and tends to be confusing more than anything else.I have had to seek out other sources of information in order to understand even basic concepts.While this book might be appropriate for those more familiar with biostats, I suggest that beginners find another textbook that might be more helpful to them.

Great purchase !
Quick shipping.
Basic and Clinical Biostatistics is a great introductory book for Biostatistics and is very readable !

Good, but could be very good
Pros:
1. Excellent worked examples from real clinical studies.
2. The explanations are very good overall.

Cons:
1. The software is basically useless for the text. Only a fraction of the examples are usable using the NCSS software provided, and even the datasets provided do not map to the examples in the text (at least, I couldn't get the same results, even when using Stata or R). Besides, there is no explanation on how to use NCSS and NCSS docs are pretty lame.
2. If NCSS was so great, why where there so many outputs from other software packages?
3. Don't ask questions in each of the chapters and not provide answers. I don't mean the problems at the end of the chapters, but the questions asked at various points within each chapter. Asking a question without giving an answer is not good for learning.

Fix:
1. Rewrite all the code using R. It's a free software package and all the statistics can be done using it.
2. Make sure the datasets map to the what's in the book. Otherwise, how do you know you're calculating it correctly?

Full of errors...Should be recalled and fixed!!
This book is a great idea at introducing this field but the number of errors are SO BAD that the least the authors could do is maintain a current errata website...The right thing would be to recall the book and fix errors...

[...]

For example: I was reading the chapter on Survival and Figure 9-3 doesn't agree with Table 9-3 (the survival probability values and times when they change). Poor captions in figures.

good business
I received the book within 5 days, ordered it on a Thursday and got it Monday afternoon. Book is in good condition. I will definitely will buy from this seller again. ... Read more

Product Description
Marcello Pagano and Kimberlee Gauvreau's PRINCIPLES OF BIOSTATISTICS, Second Edition is a concepts-based introduction to statistical procedures that prepares public health, medical, and life sciences students to conduct and evaluate research. With an engaging writing style and helpful graphics, the emphasis is on concepts over formulas or rote memorization. Throughout the book, the authors use practical, interesting examples with real data to bring the material to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Sufficient
This book is the gold standard in my department (Public Health at the Uni of Utah), but I'm not overly impressed.At times it is concise to a fault.I think there could be a few more examples and more general information about application of these operations in the real world.

would do business with again
Book arrived promptly in stated condition. Good service; would do business with this seller again.

Stats book ordered in March 2010
My purchase from this vendor met all of my expectations.Their assessment of the book was completely accurate and the order arrived quickly.

Great with class
This book is a great addition to your learning experience along with the lecture. It breaks down complex concepts to simple terms in which anyone can understand statistics.

Mostly frustrating
This could have been a great text.The chapter writing is detailed and provides interesting examples so that you understand the formulas and concepts being presented.Then you get to the problem sets, and half of the problems seem to have been written for a different textbook.I spent more time trying to figure out what was being asked of me then I did actually solving problems.And then there is the CD.The information on the text files is not properly formatted in a manner that is useful.

In the end, I was frustrated trying to learn from a text that makes language a barrier rather than a facilitator. ... Read more

Product Description
The new Bare Essentials reflects recent advances in statistics, as well as time-honored methods. For examplehierarchical linear modeling,which first appeared in psychology journals and only now is seen in medical literature, is described. Also new is a chapter on testing for equivalence and non-inferiority, and another on getting started with the computer statistics program, SPSS. Free of calculations and jargon, Bare Essentials speak so plainly that you won t need a technical dictionary. No math, all concepts. The objective is to enable you to determine if the research results are applicable to your own patients. Throughout the guide, you ll find highlights of areas in which researchers misuse or misinterpret statistical tests. We have labeled theseC.R.A.P. Detectors(Convoluted Reasoning and Anti-intellectual Pomposity), which help you to identify faulty methodology and misuse of statistics. The second version of the book will include the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) software.The purchaser will be prompted to activate the program and will have six months access to the program as part of their purchase price.This book translates biostatistics in the health sciences literature with clarity and irreverence.Students and practitioners alike applaud Biostatistics: as the practical guide that exposes them to every statistical test they may encounter, with careful conceptual explanations and a minimum of algebra. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Handy Book
It is a good book with not too much mathematics but language is little tough for those who are not native english speakers. Also I could not find video lectures on the CD- Rom. I can only see SPSS sotware.

Biostats book
the book arrived right on time and was in excellent condition.I definately plan to do business with this seller again.

If you need SPSS, buy the version with it included
As usual the order process and service through Amazon is exceptional. I have strongly recommended to my granddaughters. One is a junior at Rutgers who started using Amazon this semester and a freshman at AB Tech in Asheville, who I haven't convinced yet. I am a grad student in Sports Medicine and found that I needed to do a number of labs in SPSS and it would have made life much easier to have the software at home during the course. I would recommend students who have to use SPSS for labs buy the version with SPSS included.

Excellent buyer
The book is in a brand new condition and ship very fast.Excellent buyer.

Lousy book
This is a totally crappy book. It has a lot of mistakes, difficult to understand. Statistics itself is a tough subject, and to add to it the author uses unbelievable English literature and critism to his language.

Burn the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Succinct yet thorough, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Preventive Medicine, 3rd Edition brings you today's best knowledge on epidemiology, biostatistics, preventive medicine, and public health-in one convenient source. You'll find the latest on healthcare policy and financing · infectious diseases · chronic disease · and disease prevention technology. This text also serves as an outstanding resource for preparing for the USMLE, and the American Board of Preventive Medicine recommends it as a top review source for its core specialty examination.

• Discusses the financial concerns and the use and limitations of screening in the prevention of symptomatic disease.
• Emphasizes the application of epidemiologic and biostatistical concepts to everyday clinical problem solving and decision making.
• Showcases important concepts and calculations inside quick-reference boxes.
• Presents abundant illustrations and well-organized tables to clarify and summarize complex concepts.
• Includes 350 USMLE-style questions and answers, complete with detailed explanations about why various choices are correct or incorrect.
• This book comes with STUDENT CONSULT at no extra charge! Register at www.studentconsult.com today...so you can learn and study more powerfully than ever before!
• Access the complete contents of the book online, anywhere you go...perform quick searches...and add your own notes and bookmarks.
• Follow Integration Links to related bonus content from other STUDENT CONSULT titles-to help you see the connections between diverse disciplines.
• Reference all other STUDENT CONSULT titles you own online, too-all in one place!Look for the STUDENT CONSULT logo on your favorite Elsevier textbooks!

Customer Reviews (1)

not great
the book doesn't give precise definitions on most of the terms.Should give definition before giving examples to explain for that definitions.Not so great. ... Read more

Product Description
Allied health professionals rely on Biostatistics for its high standards of statistical accuracy. It helps them develop a set of statistical tools that are relevant to their field. Now in its ninth edition, the book integrates new applications from several biological science fields throughout the pages. Each chapter now opens with bulleted objectives that highlight the main ideas. Summary boxes of formulae and statistical rules are presented for easy reference and review. Support is also provided for multiple programs such as SPSS, SAS, and STATA, in addition to Minitab. This includes screen captures and technology boxes with step-by-step help. Health professionals will then gain the ability to use technology to analyze data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Simplified
This text does good at literarily simplifying extravagant concepts, yet retains the extrapolation of such concepts to complicated details.Moreover, this book provides more than enough mathematical practice problems to solidify understanding of concepts.

Biostatistics book review
This book is very easy to follow. It gives a description of the subject followed by the formulas and numerous examples. There are many helpful problems that follow the chapter.

Do NOT recommend
I found this book to be thoroughly frustrating! While many examples are very helpful, the authors explanation leaves much to be desired. There are many many assumptions made in this book that you simply 'know' what he is talking about. There are errors and considering there is now a 9th edition out that is unacceptable. There are many places the author seems to run out of gas in his explanation of new ideas or else a computer is going to figure it out so not go into more detail. He does not follow through on problems and does not explain where he got an answer until a page or 2 later...leaving one frustrated as one tries to understand. I could go on and on, but this is NOT a very good book. While it may contain biological settings to get across what he is trying to prove, that does not mean he explains the statistical component very well. I would not recommend it at all,or else make sure you have a professor that can explain all the nuances that Daniel misses.

nice introductory text
I think that Wayne Daniel's book is a fairly comprehensive introductory book in biostatistics.I don't agree with the review who thinks it must be used in a second course rather than a first. Thomas Jefferson University uses it as a first text in biostatistics for their nursing students. I wouldn't mind using it in a first course if I didn't have my own text to use.

Biostatistics review
Nice biostat book that works as a good reference for people with biostatistical interests. I bought it because I had a biostat course this semester. It's nice, I recommened it. ... Read more

Product Description

Biostatistics for the Biological and Health Sciences is the result of collaboration between the author of the #1 statistics book in the country and an expert in the biological sciences field. The major objective of this book is to provide a thorough, yet engaging introduction to statistics for students and professors in the biological, life, and health sciences.  This text reflects the important features of a modern introductory statistics course and includes an abundance of real data and biological applications, and a variety of pedagogical components to help students succeed in their study of biological statistics.  MARKET: It is the ideal introduction to statistics for students and professors in the biological, life, and health sciences.

Customer Reviews (7)

Satisfied Buyer
Text book arrived on time as indicated and in good condition! Was glad to see the supplement CD accompanied the book. I would definitely purchase from this seller again.

Missing Several Important Tables
The book was in fairly decent shape, aside from the fact that several important reference tables were missing from the center of it. The tables were the primary reason I purchased the book, as they are absolutely mandatory if one is going to conduct any z, t, or chi-square statistic. I have now resorted to using the book for some of the problems and having to google the statistics for individual problems, which is terribly inconvenient. Needless to say, I'm extremely disappointed.

Explains the concepts clearly...
Explains the concepts clearly with ample illustrations. One of the best textbooks for a grad level Biostatistics course.

Practical and Easy to read.
I am using this text to teach statistics at a large public University level.This is my first time with this text, and although only half way through the book, I find it is very well written and interesting.I believe that anyone who can add subtract, multiple and divide can learn statistics from this book.The text introduces fundamental concepts at a level anyone can understand, and then leads the reader to progressively more complex but practical applications using mostly real data from biology and medicine.One of the great advantages of this text is the impressive number of problems for every section.As the problems become more complex, the reader is still asked question that reinforce the fundamentals and the take home message.A students solutions manual has the answers and solutions to the odd problems, which is also very useful.Although, not a major selling point for me, the print, binding, font, layout, etc are all excellent.I've given this book a critical eye, and thus far can find no major criticism and plenty to praise.

Fast shipping and item in condition as described
The seller had good communication and answered all my questions promptly.The book arrived very quickly (I paid for expedited shipping) and was in the shape I expected it to be.Overall a good transaction, and I would definitely reccommend this seller to anyone (especially those who need their textbooks quickly!) :) ... Read more

Product Description
Drawing on the author s remarkable clinical experiences with the Framingham Heart Study, Essentials of Biostatistics in Public Health provides a fundamental and engaging background for students learning to apply and appropriately interpret biostatistical applications in the field of public health.With a presentation style that is clear and straightforward, the text uses examples that are real, relevant, and manageable in size so that students can focus on applications rather than become overwhelmed by computations. This text is just one offering in Jones and Bartlett's unique new Essential Public Health Series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Biostatistics
It has been difficult for me to receive this book. The first vendor ( Pack of Books) had to refund my money after holding me up for a month! The second vendor said the book will be delivered by Royal Mail ( I never heard of them!). I am behind in my class assignments as a result of all these inconveniences. As of today ( 9/10/10), I have not yet received this book!

Great book by great Boston U professor of biostats
Maybe I'm biased (pun intended) by being in this professor's class, but biostats is not an easy subject to comprehend. I have taken half of the class and used this book concurrently. I am an MSW/MPH dual degree student, and I have found this subject useful for both clinical social work and public health. This is a must for both fields!!

Thoroughly 'student friendly' textbook
A part of the outstanding 'Essential Public Health' series published by Jones & Bartlett Publishers, "Essentials Of Biostatistics In Public Health" by Lisa M. Sullivan (Chair, Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts) provides a basic and essential 232-page introduction for students wanting to learn how to apply and interpret biostatistical applications in the field of public health. Especially appropriate and ideal for students with limited mathematical backgrounds, "Essentials Of Biostatistics In Public Health" utilizes data and examples from the Framingham Heart Study to demonstrate methodology including the role of assumptions, statistical formulas, and appropriate interpretation of results. Also featured are specific sections devoted to study design and a sample size computation; multi-variable statistical methods accessible to first year students; and statistical computing using Excel or manual calculation. Enhanced throughout with graphs and charts, this thoroughly 'student friendly' textbook is accompanied by Professor Sullivan's "Essentials Of Biostatistics Workbook: Statistical Computing Using Excel" (9780763754778).

An outstanding resource from an outstanding educator
I studied introductory biostatistics with Lisa Sullivan.She possesses an incomparable ability to communicate complex ideas in a way that is accessible to novices and experienced students alike.She understands the difficulties and anxieties that poor math education has instilled in many students, and she is an expert at helping those students past their anxiety and onto a strong understanding of statistics.

I finally got my hands on a copy of this textbook, and Prof. Sullivan has managed to capture her teaching talents on paper.She makes great use of her experience with the Framingham Heart Study (www.framinghamheartstudy.org) and provides examples that illuminate the theoretical statistical concepts that can be so difficult for some to grasp in the abstract.

I have long recommended Prof. Sullivan's introductory biostatistics course to anyone at Boston University.For those of you who don't have the opportunity to study with her directly, this book will give you much of what you would otherwise miss. ... Read more

Product Description
Extremely popular, this student-friendly text presents the practical areas of statistics in terms of their relevance to medicine and the life sciences. Includes many illustrative examples and challenging problems that reinforce the author’s unique and intuitive approach to the subject. The new edition features a new two-color design, examples taken from current biomedical literature, and review questions within each chapter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

CDPrimer of Biostatistics
Its very disappointing because the CD doesn't work with Windows 7. Its incredible because every new computer has Windows 7.

Rodulfo

Excellent
This is a great book.I went from knowing very little about statistics to being able to understand the statistics of research papers very quickly.I have seen a lot of complaints about errors, but I have not found many in the newest edition and printing that Amazon is currently selling.

Horrifying Errors
Unfortunately, this book is filled with typos and mathematical errors, including the solutions section. A maths book clearly fails by letting its readers down and results in significant time loss when any errors exist in the solutions section, believe me. Some are even as basic as addition and subtraction errors in formulating solutions tables. The errors are otherwise just about acceptable in the standard text.

Whilst it reads well in parts, its strengths come from the examples provided, which relate to real life clinical trials and data. However, despite my relatively decent mathematical background, derivations sometimes suddenly lead to a formula or solution out of the blue. The text unfortunately does so in parts too leaving out the systematic approach to the explanation.

I guess you can't have both a true mathematical guide with such clinical emphasis, but for me, the typos just destroy it.

Without these irritating errors, the strengths of the book really would have been something to rate this book highly for.

Seriously beware. Needs to be pulled of bookshelves in this current state. Sorry.

Best stats book out there without the errors of the 6th edition
The quickest, most accurate stats book out there.Warning: you must read it carefully, you can't really skim.That said, if you do read it carefully, even just the first few chapters, you will truly understand basic stats.Before reading this I didn't get significance or what a t-test really meant.Now I can speak the lingo and critically assess other authors work.Just a great book if you give it a few hours to sink in.
Get the 5th edition, not the 6th, for some reason the 6th is full of typos and errors in the examples.

Statistics in plane english.
If you can not explaine it in plane english you probably don't undestand it yourself.In this book the author present a clear explanation of this technical field in plane english. ... Read more

Product Description
INTRODUCTORY APPLIED BIOSTATISTICS (WITH CD-ROM) explores statistical applications in the medical and public health fields. Examples drawn directly from the authors' clinical experiences with applied biostatistics make this text both practical and applicable. You'll master application techniques by hand before moving on to computer applications, with SAS programming code and output for each technique covered in every chapter. For each topic, the book addresses methodology, including assumptions, statistical formulas, and appropriate interpretation of results. This book is a must-have for every student preparing for a statistical career in a healthcare field! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

outstanding - really like a new book
outstanding - really like a new book, there is nothing to say about it, as it is a brand new book.

Great Service, Great Product
Order was just what I expected and arrived very promptly. I would've had to pay over $100 dollars at the univeristy bookstore for this text, rather than the $33 price set by this seller.

Introductory Applied Biostatistics
This is the "required" textbook for my biostatistics course and after reading most of the chapters, I can see why. Being someone with a weak mathematical background, I find this book to be extremely clear and helpful, taking a step by step approach which is very easy to follow. All the examples are relevant to what is being explained, all the formulas are numbered so when they refer to them later in the text it's easy to find them, and at the end of each chapter is a table summarizing all the formulas and when to use them. As for the answers to the problems, there is a Students Solution Manual available, although I don't see the need for it because as it has been mentioned before, there are plenty of practice examples within the text, and I also have an instructor that can help me go through the problems if I don't understand, instead of simply giving me the answer.

Introductory Apploied Biostatistics w CD ROM
Found the information to be well organized. Good examples of testing, clear statements of analysis process.

I know less than when I started!
I have found this text book to be one of the most confusing I have ever read.I have trouble understanding the formulas and correlating them to the questions in the back of the chapters.And it is virtually impossible to use a reference book either.There is a lot of text that just runs together. ... Read more

Product Description
Basic Biostatistics for Public Health Practice is a concise introduction to biostatistics for both undergraduates and graduates in various fields of public health. The book will include strong coverage of biostatistical principles and focuses on common types of data encountered in public health and biomedical fields. This text will put equal emphasis on exploratory and confirmatory statistical methods. Sampling, exploratory data analysis, estimation, hypothesis testing and power and precision will be covered through detailed illustrative examples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Confusing
I agree with the below reviewer. The author is clearly intelligent; however, this book is written in a horrendously confusing fashion for beginners, even for the seemingly simplest of concepts (i.e. probability). The random interjections of graphs before concepts are fully explained makes for a very disjointed experience. I find myself turning to Google and random examples on the internet for elucidation, at which point the concepts seem much less intimidating/complicated than as presented in the book.

Great textbook for a stats course for public health students
I have used this text for 2 years for a 1-semester stats course for students in a Master of Public Health program. The readings are short and to the point. They have lots of excellent worked out problems. It is all very public health in orientation. It might not work well as a self-learn text, but as a textbook it works well. Plenty of problems each chapter, and solutions to half the problems in the back. The short readings are great since they are not intimidating. If the instructor isn't very good, then a book with more text to read might be better. The main problem I have with the text is that it doesn't cover logistic regression, which is very important and should have been included. The book also has some good data sets included.
reviewed by mendel singer of case western reserve university

Difficult
This has go to the most confusing book I have ever had. If you are not familiar with statistics and it is not my favorite subject, you will be lost. The format is confusing. Would not have been my first choice as the text for a biostats class. ... Read more

Product Description
A respected introduction to biostatistics, thoroughly updated and revised

The first edition of Biostatistics: A Methodology for the Health Sciences has served professionals and students alike as a leading resource for learning how to apply statistical methods to the biomedical sciences. This substantially revised Second Edition brings the book into the twenty-first century for today’s aspiring and practicing medical scientist.

This versatile reference provides a wide-ranging look at basic and advanced biostatistical concepts and methods in a format calibrated to individual interests and levels of proficiency.Written with an eye toward the use of computer applications, the book examines the design of medical studies, descriptive statistics, and introductory ideas of probability theory and statistical inference; explores more advanced statistical methods; and illustrates important current uses of biostatistics.

New to this edition are discussions of

• Longitudinal data analysis
• Randomized clinical trials
• Bayesian statistics
• GEE
• The bootstrap method

Enhanced by a companion Web site providing data sets, selected problems and solutions, and examples from such current topics as HIV/AIDS, this is a thoroughly current, comprehensive introduction to the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

well written text in biostatistics
The authors write well and cover most of the important topics very thoroughly. They motivate the subject very well with a number of important and "real world" examples in the first chapter.
A unique feature is its detailed coverage of sample size determination in a number of contexts.

The book was published in 1993 which is not recent enough to cover advances in meta analysis, resampling, Bayesian Hierarchical Models (with Markov Chain Monte Carlo Methods) and frailty models. At least bootstrap methods and meta analyses are mentioned in the book.

Noteworthy are the full chapters on multiple comparison problems and discriminant analysis. This is an excellent reference book for biostatisticians.

This review was based on the first edition of the text.Since it is now listed under the second edition and amazon does not let reviewers review the same title twice I am adding my review of the second edition that I recently purchased and read through.

The second edition is as good if not better than the first.The only disadvantage is the high price and availability currently only in hard cover whereas the fist edition was in paperback.The book is still elementary and covers the basics but it is expanded over the first edition, includes two new authors and some new chapters.As the first edition came out around 1993 and this one was published in 2004 there have been significant additions to the literature on biostatistics and the authors have carefully updated the reference sections.The two new and very important chapters cover randomized clinical trials and logitudinal data anlaysis.These are both extremely important topics for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.Advances in statistical computing, robust statistics, model building and discriminant analysis are all covered in this text.Much of the great aspects of the first edition were preserved and the excellent writing style of van Belle and Fisher remains in this edition.

Great reference text
This text is a great reference for everything from basic analysis to more advanced topics like longitudinal and time-to-event data. The book is well-written with relevant, current examples. If I had to choose one reference book, this would be it because of its depth and breadth of content (at the intermediate level).

From an M.D.'s perspective taking a Masters Degree in Stats
This was a terrible book. To say that it is user unfriendly is an understatement. It is wordy and too long, furthermore, it doesn't teach you what you need to know. It is difficult to reference things (for example, try looking up sensitivity in the index!) and the writing is very tangential. This is not a good book if you are just starting out. I would not receommend it. ... Read more

Product Description

This text provides students and other health professionals with the knowledge necessary to interpret clinical research articles, design clinical studies, and learn essential epidemiological concepts in an expedient and concise manner. In recent years, there has been an explosion in the volume and complexity of clinical research, highlighting the need for a conceptual understanding of the basic underpinnings of this discipline. Fundamental concepts are presented in a highly succinct format suitable for students with no previous background in epidemiology or statistics.

Customer Reviews (1)

THE book to read if you're more than cursory to know this subject.
Having fumbled through numerous textbooks on epidemiology, this one is a stunner. The examples are superb and nicely illustrate the principles it tries to explain. Reading it is fun, and one can expect to finish it within a day or two. If you're a busy med student looking for a nice resource for epidemiology/biostat, look no further and this is it. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Disappointing
If I interpret the copy I received correctly, this is just a reprint from the 70's with a nice new cover.The author even listed in the introduction a number of changes they COULD HAVE made to improve the book? (Why not make them?) Just paging through the book, it does not appear it is going to be that helpful.However, it appears to be the least expensive.I would recommend putting your money toward a biostat book like Pagano's.I used that text in my MPH program and felt it was fairly easy to read and use. ... Read more

Product Description

This new book provides a unified, in-depth, readable introduction to the multipredictor regression methods most widely used in biostatistics: linear models for continuous outcomes, logistic models for binary outcomes, the Cox model for right-censored survival times, repeated-measures models for longitudinal and hierarchical outcomes, and generalized linear models for counts and other outcomes.

Customer Reviews (6)

Regression Methods in Biostatistics: Linear, Logistic, Survival, and Repeated Measures Models
Regression Methods in Biostatistics is clearly a very well-organized book, covering topics from simple linear regression theory and methods, to the more complex survival analyses. The material is especially recommended for students who have just completed introductory biostatistics and statistical programming, and are looking for practical applications of their skills (of course, for those looking for more thorough practice, it is recommended that those individuals take more advanced biostatistics courses). Relevant examples are abundant throughout the chapters, and the authors are also very thoughtful in providing a website ([...]) where one is able to download the data (in all types of files) used in all the examples in the book, as well as for the practice problems. One drawback to this book, however, is the authors' reliance on only STATA to present the modeling examples; this is incredibly useful for primarily STATA users (the authors provide tips on STATA codes) but not particularly helpful for SAS users, for example (though it is certainly not a very huge learning barrier).

Great resource
I have owned this book for a couple of weeks. In that short time it has proven very useful to me.

The authors use an easy-to-follow writing style and don't get too bogged down in theoretical, statistical formulas. It is full of useful figures that illustrate the points being made. Note: although the authors rely on Stata for creating their printouts and figures, this is not a book on how to use Stata. You don't get the feeling that you have to learn Stata in order to follow along. I have found that most of the Stata diagrams are very similar to the diagrams created in SPSS, and probably SAS and R for that matter.

Although I am reading the book from beginning to end, I have already gleaned some useful information from advanced chapters, thus suggesting that it is a good reference book. For instance, I was frustrated by the lack of coverage on interpreting log transformed data (in multiple regression) in other stats books. I was pleased to discover that this book covers this issue in a clear and concise manner. I am also pleased that the authors have included a chapter on generalized linear models.

This is a very good book for people working in health care research. The authors talk to the reader and explain things in a lucid manner (I have read several stats books that do not do this, so it is a refreshing change). The authors also provide many practical examples to clarify the issues. A background in the basics of statistics is required.

Excellent book
That is exactly what the title promises.High yield introduction to clinically applied regression methods.A marvel of a book for the subject.

Nice coverage of important topics for biostatisticians
The authors say that they created this book to fit with a course they taught at UC San Francisco to medical students.The book is very sophisticated and a great reference source for practicing biostatisticians in industry or research.It surprises me a little that they find it effective for there non-technical audience.Although the topics are technical and many are advanced they do cover it in a conceptual way without heavy mathematics but still requiring some statistics classes as prerequisite.

Regression does not cover all the techniques of biostatistics but as the authors point out the four topics in the subtitle are among the most important.I know this from my many years of experience as a bisostatistician in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.They use many good practical examples useing many of the common variables studies in many clinical trials where physical exams are given to record blood pressure and other vital signs and chemistry labs are done to determine cholesterol levels and other things that can be factors in various diseases.Also glucose levels are very important to monitor for diabetes trials.

In addition to the standard topics general estimating equations and generalized linear models are covered and where appropriate bootstrap confidence intervals.There is even a chapter on complex surveys a topic important when quality of life is an endpoint and survey instruments are used to measure it.

In the survival analysis chapter the Kaplan-Meier curves, log rank tests and Cox proportional hazards models are covered as expected but the authors go further to include extensions of the Cox model when the proportional hazards assumption fails.My only disappointment is that there is no coverage of actuarial life tables.At the medical device companies that I worked for it was common to get interval data on events rather than continuous data and then the Cutler-Ederer life table method is the analog for interval data to the Kaplan-Meier estimator for continuous data.

The book covers many topics but is concise as the authors claim.The authors provide a lot of examples that they work out using the statistical package Stata.The authors claim that Stata is the package of choice for biostatistics.This may be the case in academic settings but is certainly not the case in the pharmaceutical industry where SAS is used almost exclusively.I think that it would have been better to show how to write the computer code for solving these problems both in SAS and Stata.To the authors credit Stat is a very good package for their purpose and they do at times mention SAS and SPSS which are the other two major statistical packages used in industry.

All in all this is a very good book that is worth its list price.I will use it as a reference.it also contains a very nice bibliography of 9 pages.

very good book, compact but comprehensive
This book covers a wide range of topics in Biostatistics, in a comprehensive, but not overwhelming way. In my opinion this book has the potential of being useful to a broad audience, from Statisticians to other professionals who do health related research. ... Read more

Product Description

This book provides a solid foundation in introductory biostatistics with up-to-date methods, lucid explanations, and a modern approach. Explains commonly used biostatistical methods, such as odds and risk ratios, and Fisher's exact test, in a clear and thorough manner. Introduces equivalence testing in a variety of research settings. Presents nonparametric methods in a modern light, couched in the broader context of permutation-based methods. Provides real-world data with case studies consisting of synopses of published research. Provides step-by-step solutions to exercises, along with pertinent equations used in obtaining the solution and page numbers of relevant discussions. For health science students and professionals who need to increase their understanding of biostatistics.

Customer Reviews (6)

Good basic stix book -- excellent examples
I used this book in a 200 level Biostat course. I liked the biology slant -- all the health science applications. I especially appreciated the thorough explanations and many complete examples -- even the answers to the odd numbered problems in the back of the book are completely worked out (as opposed to just giving the answers).

Clear explanations, useful case studies, excellent appendices
I am a Ph.D. student in an Educational Research program and I needed an online statistics course to fill a required statistics course. When my dissertation chair reviewed this textbook she gave the course (taken through a different University in a different state) her seal of approval because of how well the text explains concepts.

Over the time I have been interacting with this text I have found it to be thorough, often providing alternative solutions so learners can see the logic behind a solution.

There is a website associated with the book, which offers invaluable resources to go along with the text. The web site is [...]

On the site you can find .sav files as well as PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and more. If you are thinking of using this book, consider checking out the website and available resources.

Now naturally, this is a first edition. As with any textbook, it will improve with further revisions. But for a first edition, I find it first rate.

By accident, I bought the Triola and Triola book by the same title and I like this one better, in case that helps the decision process for you.

BioStat Book
At the time I purchased the book, I got it for almost half the price off the Amazon price.The book came quickly because the seller was physically close to where I lived in the Metro-Atlanta area.It was in excellent condition.

Am I really the only one writing a poor review???
I have to confess to being a bit surprised in the fact that I am the only one to, up until this point, write a negative review of this book.I am currently a graduate student in a biostatistics program at Tulane University and I think that my first semester biostatsinstructor summed up this book best in her stating that "I think it is clear that this book was not written by statisticians."

This book provides a number of misrepresentations of statistics and rarely provides enough information to be useful.If you give any importance to mathematical rigor this is not the book for you (I am a biostats student, not a math student, my threshold for mathematical rigor is relatively low).

If you would like to understand this subject I highly recommend your buying the book by Rosner.Rosner's book IS significantly more difficult than Blair and Taylor, but it also provides the information needed to gain any practical knowledge of the subject matter.

That said, if your hope is to breeze through a biostatistics course as to complete your MPH and you place fairly little importance on the concepts of this class (i.e. if you are taking a biostats course because you HAVE to) this is probably a good text choice.

Good Textbook, With Some Reservations
I have used other biostatistics texts before, and this is indeed one of the better ones.Generally, the explanations are clear and easy to follow, but not always.Sometimes, the author will go into far too much detail and risks losing all but the most capable students under a mountain of excessive information for an intro textbook.

Other times, the example calculations will not match up with the instructions given.For example, when doing a two-tailed test and testing for significance, you can either double the obtained p-value OR halve the critical p-value.In some cases, the author will explain a given test and discuss halving the critical p-value, but then in example calculations will double the obtained p-value without comment.This is a small example, but this type of thing happens all the time.

The appendices are excellent.For instance, the author provides both "sides" of the area under the normal curve (Z-scores and p-values) for a given half, whereas most authors require you to solve .5-n to get the other part.Again, this sounds minor, but it is a help and a timesaver.I also like how all the equations are set off in boxes, and the author does a fine job of immediately explaining what variables are what.

All in all, I like this book.I wish it left out some amount of what I consider to be excessive detail, and I also wish that all the example calculations were consistent with the instructions given.But otherwise, great book! ... Read more

Product Description
* Provides many real-data sets in various fields in the form of examples at at the end of all twelve chapters in the form of exercises.
* Covers all of the nuts and bolts of biostatistics in a user-friendly style that motivates readers.
* Contains notes on computations at the end of most chapters, covering the use of Excel, SAS, and others. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Too many errors
It is mind-boggling how one can have so many mistakes in a textbook like this. This book was required for our Biostatistics II class, and I am really displeased by all of the mistakes. What is the worst offense is that some of the answers for test questions are wrong. For example, the one way ANOVA problem 7.21 has the wrong F-statistic: the wrong answer. Others in the class have complained about this text as well. This is simply amazing to me, and leaves me not trusting much of the text in this book.

His other book "Health and Numbers" is just as terrible; the professor that used that book for class made a list of the mistakes they found, and us students in that class found many more along the way. I ran into another statistics book that takes all of the procedures step-by-step and really made it simple for me. This book, and his other are not recommended.
... Read more