9 November 2009                 Published weekly by Biotech Ink, LLC Vol 2 No 34

Angel Bivins photo

Inside the Insider
Join Our Mailing List
 
Forward this email 
 
View Our Newsletter Archives!
Teaching Yourself Biostatistics with
Two Excellent Books
by Mitch Gordon 
 
Angel Bivins photoClinical studies test how drugs or medical devices work in humans before the drugs or devices are ever commercially marketed. Such studies must be designed so that the results will be robust enough to demonstrate the investigational product's safety, and often its efficacy.
 
Researchers nearly always use statistical analysis to express and understand clinical study results. Because of this emphasis on statistics in clinical research, regulatory medical writers need a general background in statistics. They also need an understanding of how biostatistics is applied to clinical study design and analysis.
 
Typically, the statistician ensures that the study design is adequate to provide valid results, and interprets the clinical data in statistical terms after study completion. The medical writer generally writes the clinical study protocol and, later, the study report, in collaboration with other project team members. Both documents tend to require extensive statistical analysis and discussion.
 
statistics graphicIf you're a medical writer who uses statistics, but statistics wasn't exactly your strongest subject in college, you may need a refresher. Application of statistics to clinical study data is a subject of its own, too--and you probably didn't learn it in school.
 
To address my need for understanding biostatistics in a clinical study environment, I found two terrific, reader-friendly books. These tomes have taught me what I needed to know, without overwhelming me with technical detail that I don't need.
 
The first of these is Intuitive Biostatistics, by Harvey Motulsky, MD (the book is about $45 on Amazon). Dr Motulsky is a pharmacology instructor at UC San Diego, and he's an excellent writer (probably an enjoyable professor, too). According to the preface, his book is "...a non-mathematical introduction to statistics for medical students, physicians, graduate students, and researchers in the health sciences." He gives extensive explanations of all the important concepts in basic statistics: confidence intervals, P values, odds ratios, hypothesis testing, correlation, regression, and various standard tests. But he only presents equations when necessary, and almost never goes through the derivation steps. Instead, he explains the logic behind the concepts and how they interrelate.
 
open book with glassesAlthough Intuitive Biostatistics is intended to be non-mathematical, I found it to be very thorough. Every statistical concept that you may need is explained completely and in a step-by-step fashion. The author has an engaging, unassuming writing style that makes the reader comfortable--a plus, if the subject matter makes you nervous. You'd never know that Dr Motulsky is a physician, except from the inside cover, and I suspect he had a great bedside manner in his clinical practice days.
 
The strength of Dr Motulsky's book is in how well he presents a good, general understanding of statistics as a toolset. He uses examples from the medical literature, and offers one chapter specifically on clinical research.
 
But, after you've finished his book, I think it's important to move on to a book that explains the application of statistics specifically to clinical research. For this topic, I chose Statistical Thinking for Non-Statisticians in Drug Regulation by Richard Kay (it's about $70 on Amazon).
 
Richard Kay is a biostatistics consultant in the UK. The audience he identifies in his preface is the same as Dr Motulsky's: everyone in clinical research who works with a statistician, but isn't one. His stated goals are to improve our communications with statisticians, help us critically review reports and publications, and make more effective use of statistical arguments in the regulatory process. At all of these objectives, he succeeds admirably.
 
Like Dr Motulsky, with his thorough book on basic statistics, Mr Kay systematically works his way through the statistical concepts used in clinical studies, but with great sympathy for the non-mathematical reader. While there's a little overlap with the Motulsky book, much of the information is fairly specific to clinical study design and data analysis. He delves deeply into concepts that include randomization, multicenter studies, analysis of covariance, intent-to-treat, statistical significance versus clinical importance, interim analysis, meta-analysis, and the all-important power of a study.
 
group doing high fivesAfter you read through these two books, you'll understand a lot more of what is going on around you when you write with a clinical team. And that's a great way to build your confidence and the confidence the team has in you.
_________________________________________________________________________
 
About the Author
 
Mitch Gordon has been a professional writer for 16 years. He is completing his Masters degree in Regulatory Affairs, to be finished in early 2010. His specialties are regulatory and clinical documentation, as well as a wide range of other writing and editing roles that support life-science companies.
 
Mitch Gordon
Medical and Regulatory Writing
Website: http://www.mitchgordonwriter.com
Tel: 707-869-4561
Open Jobs and Gigs for Medical Writers
 
The jobs listed in the Biotech Ink Insider come to us mostly by word-of-mouth and direct contact with hiring managers and recruiters. If no new jobs are communicated to us in a given week, the Insider won't be published that week. See also our disclaimer at the bottom of the newsletter.
 
If you're a writer or editor and are getting calls about staff or contract positions you aren't interested in, please forward that job information to Susan Caldwell at caldwell@biotechink.com. We'd be delighted to publish such positions in the next issue of the Insider.
Senior Medical Writer
 
An M Squared client requires a Senior Medical Writer to prepare a report for the FDA analyzing death related data from clinical studies.
 
DELIVERABLES

An FDA-ready final report approved by the client's management team.
 
METHODS & CHARACTERISTICS
 
The consultant will work with the clinical and regulatory team members to understand the current data and research available around patient population, drug actions, cardiac effects/safety and respiratory effects/safety and develop the report.
 
The consultant should have deep clinical expertise in respiratory and/or cardiology at the PhD or MD level.  S/he should be able to show medical writing examples in cardiology/respiratory which are relative to the deliverable.
 
The consultant should be familiar with FDA guidance and risk definitions for new drug approvals related to cardiac/respiratory effects/deaths, or understand how to quickly define them. 
 
The consultant should be an expert in mitigating strategies to overcome relative FDA concerns through appropriate report submissions/discussions, labeling and marketing claims.
 
CONTACT
 
Steve Jaben, Vice President
Life Sciences Practice
M Squared Consulting Inc.
Office: 949.589.3918
Email: sjaben@msquared.com
http://www.msquaredlifesciences.com
Technical Writer
San Jose, CA
 
Do you have experience writing about bio-tech devices or clinical diagnostic and research tools? We would like to talk to you. We're managing a team of writers for an 8-12 month contract updating and existing clinical diagnostic product documentation.

Onsite required in San Jose
Full-time hours required
 
REQUIREMENTS
  • Expert FrameMaker skills
  • 3+ years experience writing about bio-tech or clinical diagnostic equipment
  • 7+ years of Technical Writing experience
  • Able to work independently
  • Familiarity with style guides
  • Work closely with cross-functional teams
  • Communicate status, issues, and risks to project stakeholders
  • Ability to meet deliverables
  • Knowledge of FDA documentation regulations a plus
CONTACT
 
For more information contact: hollyv@oakhillcorporation.com
Biotech Ink's Links
 
Biotech Ink Spots medical writing blog
 
Biotech Ink Insider medical writing newsletter information web site 
 
Biotech Ink Insider medical writing newsletter archives
 
 
Susan Caldwell's Medical Writing Twibe (a special-interest Twitter group; Twitter account required)
 
Comments or questions? Email Susan at caldwell@biotechink.com.