Abstract: The relevance of health statistics in improving individual and public health cannot be overstated. Health statistics hold information on diseases, relative and absolute risks, effects of medical treatments, survival and mortality rates, among others. Understanding these figures is crucial for making informed decisions in several medical areas and in health policy. To make sense of health statistics, however, a certain amount of statistical knowledge is required. If not, statistics can be misinterpreted, leading to incorrect conclusions and decisions. The purpose of this study is to establish, with the use of three questions, if healthcare professionals and patients comprehend the often misunderstood concepts of survival, mortality, and lethality rates. An online questionnaire was available from October 30, 2022 to February 4, 2023. The final sample comprised 129 replies, with 37 health professionals and 92 individuals from other professions. Despite the limited sample size, the results indicate that both health professionals and the general population need to improve their statistical knowledge on survival, mortality, and lethality rates. By improving statistics health literacy many positive benefits can be expected to be achieved, such as better health and less overtreatment and healthcare expenses, due to better decision-making and fewer interventions and treatments.
Keywords: survival rate, mortality rate, fatality rate, lethality rate, screening.
Title: Statistical metrics in Healthcare
Author: José M. Pereira, Teresa Abreu, Ricardo Gonçalves, Mário Basto
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations
ISSN 2348-1218 (print), ISSN 2348-1226 (online)
Vol. 11, Issue 4, October 2023 - December 2023
Page No: 1-7
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 04-October-2023
