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The Importance of Statistical Methods for Interpreting the Results in...
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The Importance of Statistical Methods for Interpreting the Results in Epidemiological Studies

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 2122

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Irena Maniecka-Bryła

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland
Interests: population health assessment; health inequalities; years of life lost
Dr. Beata Ciabiada-Bryła

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland
Interests: statistics in medicine; mortality; epidemiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research in the field of descriptive epidemiology concerning health has a population scope. Therefore, it is essential to correctly define the sample size and sampling method. In addition, it is extremely important to precisely define the variables, both qualitative and quantitative, covered by the study. Observation and measurement of seasonal and long-term variability of various health phenomena: frequency of illnesses, hospitalizations, deaths, etc., enables the creation of models, which allows forecasting their occurrence. For the analysis of the obtained data, it is worth using complex measures that allow not only to assess the frequency of the examined phenomena in the health status of the population, but also to indicate the importance of these results in the conduct of health policy in the broadly understood public health.

In research in the area of analytical epidemiology, statistical methods are of key importance, enabling the correct inclusion of the studied units in the test and control samples, as well as the measurement of the observed variables. In conclusion, it should be emphasized that not every statistical relationship is a cause-and-effect relationship. This is of fundamental importance in assessing the effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic methods.

The selection of the correct statistical methods and the correct analysis of the results obtained in epidemiological studies are the basis for formulating reliable conclusions resulting from these studies, in accordance with the assumptions (criteria) of evidence-based medicine (EBM).

Therefore, in this Special Issue, in addition to original papers from epidemiological studies, critical reviews of published papers and an indication of the incorrect statistical methods used in them are also valuable. We are also waiting for papers proposing new indicators of the health situation with a reliable description of their methodology development.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Irena Maniecka-Bryła
Dr. Beata Ciabiada-Bryła
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • estimating the frequency of health phenomena
  • measures of health burden: DALE, PYLL, DALY, SEYLL, QALY
  • health inequalities
  • retrospective studies
  • odds ratio
  • prospective cohort studies
  • relative risk ratio
  • seasonal and long-term variability
  • hazard ratio
  • models (forecasting)
  • representative study
  • statistical association and cause-and-effect relationship

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

8 pages, 595 KiB  
Article
Excess Mortality of Males Due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Poland
by Waclaw Moryson and Barbara Stawińska-Witoszyńska
Healthcare 2024, 12(4), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12040437 - 8 Feb 2024
Viewed by 604
Abstract
At present, female life expectancy exceeds male life expectancy almost worldwide. However, numerous studies indicate that this disparity is gradually decreasing. In Poland, the gender gap in life expectancy peaked in 1991 when it amounted to 9.2 years. Since then, a narrowing of [...] Read more.
At present, female life expectancy exceeds male life expectancy almost worldwide. However, numerous studies indicate that this disparity is gradually decreasing. In Poland, the gender gap in life expectancy peaked in 1991 when it amounted to 9.2 years. Since then, a narrowing of the gap has been observed, reaching 8 years in 2021. Decreasing differences in life expectancy between men and women in Poland were mainly the result of a reduction in mortality due to ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and a number of malignancies.Less attention has been paid to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) although it is the third leading cause of death worldwide. This paper includes an analysis of mortality due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD. The male excess mortality was calculated as the ratio of mortality rates in the male population scaled up to the corresponding rates in the female population using both crude and standardised detailed mortality rates. The Joinpoint model was used to determine time trends. It was shown that from 2008 to 2021, the excess mortality of men due to COPD in Poland decreased by 3.3% per year from 2.4 to 1.7 when using crude coefficients, while when standardised coefficients were applied, it decreased significantly by 3.9% per year from 3.8 to 2.4. The decrease in the excess mortality of men in Poland was due to a simultaneous decrease in mortality in the population in general; however, a greater decrease was observed in the male population. The mortality of men and women, and, at the same time, the excess mortality of men caused by COPD in Poland decreased faster in the period studied than in other European countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Statistical Methods for Interpreting the Results in Epidemiological Studies)
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10 pages, 574 KiB  
Article
Assessments of and Attitudes towards Specialist Teleconsultations among Nephrology and Posttransplant Outpatients during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Krzysztof Edyko, Paweł Edyko, Maja Nowicka and Ilona Kurnatowska
Healthcare 2023, 11(20), 2737; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11202737 - 14 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1169
Abstract
In Poland, teleconsultations (TCs) were not legally regulated or even conducted until the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated their abrupt implementation and posed a challenge to patients and doctors. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of TCs and the satisfaction [...] Read more.
In Poland, teleconsultations (TCs) were not legally regulated or even conducted until the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated their abrupt implementation and posed a challenge to patients and doctors. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of TCs and the satisfaction with this mode of consultation among nephrology and kidney transplant outpatients with a high risk of severe courses of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A self-designed questionnaire regarding patients’ demographics; digital fluency; and participation in, satisfaction with, and attitude towards TCs was distributed among patients in the nephrology and posttransplant outpatient clinics at two hospitals in central Poland. The questionnaires were completed by 294 adult patients, of whom 72.1% (n = 212) had participated in TCs at one of the abovementioned clinics. Almost all (96.7%) of the TCs were conducted via phone, and in 94.8% of cases, they fulfilled the purpose of the consultation. The most commonly reported advantages were not having to leave home and the reduced risk of infection. Only a few patients felt that TCs offer no advantages. The patients’ profiles and demographic data had no significant effect on their assessments of teleconsultations. Despite the overall positive rating given to TCs, patients unhesitatingly indicated that a face-to-face visit would be a preferable way to contact a specialist. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Importance of Statistical Methods for Interpreting the Results in Epidemiological Studies)
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