Hi, I’m Dibyendu and am a psychiatrist currently working in a government hospital in Pune as a Senior Resident. I’m involved in clinical and academic responsibilities. In clinical responsibilities, I have to see patients in OPD (Outpatient Department) and IPD (admitted patients). My duty pertaining to academic activities involves teaching Junior Residents, helping them with their thesis work and being part of regular academic-oriented sessions.
There is a plethora of large data in the medical field which has accumulated over the years and systematically analysing them can give important insights into the causes and treatment of various ailments. They are already in use in the medical field but spurious analysis can result in questionable results which might downgrade the scientific literature. So, an in-depth understanding of data science can prevent such mistakes. Also, understanding and critiquing medical journals are also important to keep oneself informed and protected from bad practices. As I am planning to start my own practice in future, business analytics seemed like a way ahead in forging the path and setting the foundation stone.
It was challenging to understand the technical terms in medical journals and interpret the data. Also, creating a meaningful study design and analysing data with respect to the thesis of the junior residents always seemed like a daunting task. The studies being conducted were of poor quality and the analysis of the data was not up to the mark as the data collected was analysed by statisticians who had no domain knowledge of the study. Hence, publishing such studies in good journals was nearly impossible. The statistical methods and the logic behind them helped me to choose the tools as per the data and the study to get relevant and meaningful insights. For example, one of my junior residents had collected data for her thesis but she and the statistician were having problems analysing the data. So, I applied the knowledge gained during the course and conducted data pre-processing and sequentially did the univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. I was able to apply ANOVA and linear regression.
In one analysis, there was one dependent continuous variable and more than two independent categorical variables. Hence, ANOVA was applied. In the other analysis, there was one dependent continuous variable and multiple independent continuous variables with multicollinearity among them. Hence, linear regression seemed a valid choice. I used SPSS, python and tableau for analysis. The study suggested that the severity of tobacco dependence score was significantly affected by childhood adverse events by more than 15 %. I recommended the faculty include statistics as an important part of the curriculum and should be imparted in a more structured fashion just like the course. I was able to change their reluctant behaviour and bleak view of the statistical world and was able to encourage them to pursue it with confidence thus improving the statistical efficiency by 7% and reducing the manhours by 5%.
I have more confidence in myself and I feel I can contribute more to society and my field than I used to feel before doing this course.
