Statistics in health and medicine

Statistics form the basis for life and death decision-making within public health services, health care funding, clinical trials and drug development. In this information driven environment, statisticians, analysts and data users bring the necessary expertise to inform decision making. The Royal Statistical Society works to support them all, promoting methodological development and providing professional support.

The modern health service employs many statisticians, data analysts and information specialists in monitoring performance in the delivery of health policies. The Medical Section and Primary Healthcare Study Group provide a forum for debate in areas such as analysing health-related quality of life, statistics of mental health research and systematic reviews in primary care.

Further support for those involved in health statistics is through the Health Statistics User Group, which is an affiliate of the Royal Statistical Society and active member of its Statistics User Forum.

From time to time the Society has commissioned working groups to report on important statistical issues or developments. For example, following a drug trial incident in 2006 in which six healthy volunteers suffered a severe immune reaction, the Society set up a working party to investigate statistical issues in first-in-man trials. In its report, published in March 2007, the working party made recommendations in the areas of risk assessment and communication, preparatory pre-clinical work, and experimental design. The report gained significant media coverage and has been widely distributed to policy makers and regulators including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA).
 

Honouring medical research excellence

Pioneered by former Society President, Sir Austin Bradford Hill, randomised clinical trials underpin modern medical research. In his memory the Bradford Hill medal is awarded for outstanding or influential contributions to the development, application or exposition of medical statistics.