Clinical research is a foundational cornerstone of modern clinical practice and medicine. As the medical industry relies upon thorough testing for patient safety and treatment efficacy, clinical researchers will need to use every tool available to them in order to run successful clinical research. One of the most powerful tools in clinical trials is a biostatistical mindset. Read below the fold for more on the importance of biostatistics in clinical trials.
Data-Driven Mindset = Data-Driven Outcomes
Clinical researchers should have a biostatistical mindset from the very beginning of their work. When designing a trial, understanding the biostatistics involved can help shorten timelines, reduce costs, and reduce risks by improving the submission quality. Keeping biostatistical reasoning in mind is critical, and can be done by keeping data and theory equally in mind. Having data in mind at the outset allows for a trial to be designed with more data-driven goals.
Expect the Unexpected
Biostatistics provides the ability to precisely apply prior research findings for future success. Understanding the past influence of chance allows for randomness and unexpected outliers to be better accounted for in expected results. Biostatistics is necessary for taking into account different sources of variability in patients’ response to treatment. By taking into account the past incidences of unexpected and outlier results, a study can better predict the current study and factor in the randomness.
Data Doesn’t Lie
Less than 10% of new compounds reach the market. Because of how lucrative the industry can be, there is a growing concern for fraudulent studies that aim to push new compounds to market regardless of efficacy and safety. Utilizing a biostatistical mindset merges more established data into your research and design. Providing a history of data is important not only for establishing a pattern for the expected outcome but also for maintaining the integrity of the study.
Offer a Comprehensive Conclusion
Every study needs a firm conclusion that provides not only a succinct interpretation of results, but also the methodology and easily understood representation of data. A biostatistician should be fully ready to provide these in a comprehensive manner that is both nuanced and detailed. It is every clinical researcher’s responsibility to present findings in such a manner, and a biostatistical mindset can provide a methodology that sets a study up for success.