Students and faculty at the (COPH) are well trained to read and interpret scientific research, no matter how rigorous it might be. But many of the clinicians and health care providers they work with can find it daunting to navigate the methods and statistical language of academic papers.
That鈥檚 why COPH researchers are working to make scientific communication more accessible. A team from USF presented 鈥淪tatistics 101: Demystifying Commonly Used Statistical Tests and Birth Defects Surveillance and Epidemiological Study Design: A Primer鈥 during the Human Teratogens Course, an international online event the National Institutes of Health offers every other year.
鈥淭his session was designed to eliminate the intimidation factor that many clinicians feel when reading the methods sections of research papers,鈥欌 said , professor and interim chair, , who presented along with , assistant professor in the same department.
Jason L. Salemi, PhD, MPH, FACE (Photo by Caitlin Keough)
鈥淗ealth care providers are constantly encountering scientific studies or working alongside researchers and the statistical language alone can be a barrier,鈥欌 Salemi added. 鈥淥nce that barrier comes down, people can engage much more confidently with the evidence, ask better questions and ultimately make better decisions for their patients.鈥欌
The benefit is confidence. When providers feel more comfortable interpreting research, they鈥檙e more likely to use it.
Drs. Jason Salemi and Jean-Paul Tanner
The first session, Statistics 101, focused on making research feel accessible by explaining the language of scientific studies. The second session on birth defects concentrated on how research is actually created. Participants see where data comes from, how to track it and the different ways studies are designed to answer important questions.
鈥淭ogether, they give providers the confidence to both interpret and trust the science,鈥欌 Salemi added.
The 15-hour live virtual program offered specialized training on pregnancy exposures, fetal development and toxicology. It covered the principles of birth defects, epidemiology and environmental risks for practitioners such as obstetricians, pharmacists and genetic counselors. It also explained how to weigh risks and benefits when the evidence isn鈥檛 always perfect.
The USF team walked participants through the logic behind commonly used statistical tests and models such as T-tests, logistic regressions, risk and hazard ratios, Kaplan鈥揗eier curves and predictive modeling techniques. Rather than focusing on formulas, the team emphasized:
- Understanding how the scale of an outcome variable drives analytic choices
- Interpreting p-values and confidence intervals
- Recognizing what a given statistical approach can and cannot tell you
- Building confidence in reading and critically appraising birth defect studies
Jean-Paul "JP" Tanner, PhD, MPH (Photo by Caitlin Keough)
鈥淲hen someone reads a paper and sees terms like 鈥榯-test,鈥 鈥榦dds ratio鈥 鈥榩-value,鈥 we want it to feel familiar instead of overwhelming,鈥欌 Tanner said. 鈥淪o, we focus on what those tools are actually doing in plain terms and how they connect to real clinical questions.鈥欌
Teratology is the scientific study of birth defects and their causes, focusing on how environmental and genetic factors disrupt fetal development. Teratogens, including drugs, infections and environmental chemicals, cause abnormal development 鈭 a process known as teratogenesis 鈭 often resulting in structural, functional or cognitive abnormalities in offspring. But these subjects can be unnecessarily complicated if the language isn鈥檛 simplified or properly conveyed.
鈥淯nderlying all of this is communication,鈥欌 Tanner said of the course. 鈥淓ven the best science doesn鈥檛 help if it鈥檚 not understood. That鈥檚 why there鈥檚 so much emphasis on translating complex findings into clear, meaningful information for both providers and patients. The benefit is confidence.鈥欌
When providers feel more comfortable interpreting research, he added, they鈥檙e more likely to use it: 鈥淚n the bigger picture, making technical language accessible widens who can engage with the science and helps it translate into better patient care.鈥欌