Statistics Paper Essay Example

Healthcare/Statistics Paper Essay Example Healthcare/Statistics Paper Paper Healthcare/Statistics Paper Paper Alice makes an appointment with her primary care physician to talk about her arthritis. She tells her doctor that she has seen on TV this wonderful new medicine that in only days will relieve the pain that she has in her fingers and hands. The ad shows people playing golf, sewing and even typing on a computer – all people who before the medication could not do any of these things without pain. The ad had two people – a man and a woman – who both explained how their lives were totally changed once they started using the medication. She pulls out a notepad and gives her doctor specific information from the TV ad: According to Dr. Jonas Smart – the doctor who created the medicine a â€Å"major medical study† showed that 98% of the people who used the medication found relief – many of them totally. Alice wants to try the medicine but it can only be ordered by mail and is very expensive (Alice lives on a fixed income and the $75.00 price tag is high for her) and is seeking her doctor’s OK to buy it. In light of the above scenario, discuss this situation and then add to it a discussion of ads that you have seen on TV, heard on the radio, or seen in newspapers or magazines where medicines or treatments are advertised. As each one of us may agree, certain medical products that are distributed in the market are coupled with persuasive advertisements, which are often coupled with researches. Nowadays, people are becoming more conscious and cautious about their health, especially with the skyrocketing number of individuals with diseases of the vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, and other notable diseases, thereby realizing the need to stay healthy and to possibly be free from all sorts of ailments. As such, people tend to scrutinize their prospective products and see the benefits that they could possibly get from it. In line with the aforementioned need comes the advent of informative advertisements that are frequently seen on TV, heard on the radio, or seen in newspapers or magazines, where medicines and various treatment modalities are being laid down to render facts to a vast array of consumers. Nevertheless, with the current global recession and fiscal crisis in the economy, people also have a tendency to be vigilant about the price of the health products that they are to use. Indeed, the aforesaid facts can be seen in the above scenario involving Alice, who wanted to make sure that the new medicine she was eyeing for arthritis would be worth her limited income. For this reason, she sought the advice of an expert, who is, of course, her doctor. Discuss items like the following: What do you think of the â€Å"data† that are used to support the claims? To what degree can the information be trusted? When â€Å"major studies† are claimed, what does this mean? The data that are used to support the claims must have been obtained from actual researches are conducted to measure the effectiveness of a particular product to the individuals who have tried using it. For instance, in the new anti-arthritis medication, the research participants are the ones who are covered by data, including their responses as to the effect of the said medication to their condition. In this way, the 98% of the people- who, according to Dr. Jonas Smart, felt improvement in their condition because of the medication’s relieving effect- can be said as the data that support the claims of the medication’s efficacy. On the other hand, when dealing about the accuracy, reliability and trustworthiness of the data for claimed research/studies, many critics refute, even regarded those studies as having prevailing bias (Ioannidis, 2005). Furthermore, according to Ioannidis (2005): Too large and too highly significant effects may actually be more likely to be signs of large bias in most fields of modern research. They should lead investigators to careful critical thinking about what might have gone wrong with their data, analyses, and results. (p. 700) At this point, if we were to look at the 98% positive response to Dr. Smart’s medication, we can easily discern that it has â€Å"too high significant effects†, which may lead to a significant bias, as regarded in the above quotation. Hence, for major studies to be hailed as â€Å"claimed†, it must be assumed ―perhaps, hoped for― that they must have accurate, reliable, and careful analyses of data and results (Ioannidis, 2005). References Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Medicine, 2, 8, pp. 696-701. [Ioannidis JPA, 2005 Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Med 2(8): e124. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124]