Statistics in health

To browse other articles on a range of HSL topics, see the wiki index.

Introduction

See also Pathfinder to Locate Health Statistics

The ability to locate health statistics is a major challenge for health librarians and in their ability to provide library services. Moreover, locating relevant statistical information that answers specific reference questions (and in usable formats) is an additional challenge. The ability to find and use health statistics is supported by knowing how health statistics are gathered and published. For example, it is important to know whether this information is created by provincial or federal government bodies, whether it is likely to be published by Statistics Canada or the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and consequently whether the information will be freely-available or only accessible via subscription. Since the 1990s, all kinds of government and statistical information has moved from its print origins to varying electronic formats and formerly 'fixed' print publications are now available in customized formats via self-service websites and online databases. In addition, although health statistics can be customized for some patrons, a considerable amount of information cannot and is only available in the grey literature.

• New Health Trends wizard at StatsCan http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/health-sante/82-213/index.cfm?Lang=ENG

Search strategies

For many health and hospital librarians, finding health statistics is made easier by being strategic or 'targeted' about where to look for relevant information. Targeted or faceted browsing for specific statistics can be accomplished by looking at the most relevant government websites for a given clinical question or information need. Some basic knowledge of the structure of statistics gathering is recommended. A number of countries produce health statistics, but notably Canada, the United States, various European countries and the World Health Organization. Other countries do it in a piecemeal fashion. Consequently, the availability of statistics on particular health conditions is extremely variable worldwide, unless it is focused on major diseases and syndromes. It is possible to find statistics by searching PubMed, Google, journal articles or by directly contacting organizations connected with specific diseases. Some governments track vital statistics, infectious diseases, conditions requiring hospitalization and hospital admissions etc. Statistics often are findable by using search engines - see diabetes or by consulting relevant websites likely to publish them. Remember that some chronic conditions that do not require hospitalization are not tracked by federal or provincial statistical organizations. Statistics on these conditions are difficult to locate since data collection and analysis are time-consuming and expensive.

Canadian health statistics sources

Several organizations in Canada collect and aggregate health statistics, notably Statistics Canada, provincial health ministries and organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The Data Liberation Initiative is a rich source of Canadian health statistics but usually only accessible from universities.

• Canadian Cancer Society
• Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) - http://secure.cihi.ca/
  • CIHI Health Indicators, 2010
• Data Liberation Initiative
• Health Canada - http://www.hc.-sc.gc.ca
• Statistics Canada web site and A-Z index to find stats by topic.
  • see key Statistics Canada health publications
  • vital statistics, morbidity data, health personnel statistics and health care expenditures.
  • hard to find statistics include data on chronic conditions, diabetes (not considered a notifiable disease), lifestyle choices, etc.
• E-STAT – CANSIM II tool, interactive, free online and available to educational institutions only; statistics relating to health indicators but includes data on accidents, diseases, health care, mental health and safety. Options are available for modifying/manipulating output using graphs or charts.

International

• World Health Statistics 2010 - http://www.who.int/whosis/whostat/2010/en/index.html
• US Census Bureau The 2011 Statistical Abstract

Some things to remember about health statistics

Data collection in health care and services can be uncoordinated, fragmented, decentralized, slow and expensive to compile. Health statistics are consequently a challenge to find so keep in mind that:

• health information may be available close to home than nationally
• developing countries may not have up-to-date statistics or collected statistics
• finding data on certain demographic groups or diseases may be difficult (or impossible)
• data may not be available or in a format you need; data may be older than needed
• statistics for the year you need may not be available
• you may see discrepancies in statistics if you have gleaned information from many sources
• dig to get what you need; if you don't find what you need, ask a colleague

References

• Bailar JC, Mosteller F. Medical uses of statistics. Boston, Mass., NEJM Books, 1992.
• Daniel J. Friedman, Edward L. Hunter, R. Health statistics : shaping policy and practice to improve the population’s health
• Guide to biostatistics. Medpage. 2010
• Lang TA, Secic M. How to report statistics in medicine : annotated guidelines for authors, editors, and reviewers. Philadelphia, American College of Physicians, 2006.
• Koerner Library's Government publications
• Pathfinder to Locate Health Statistics. UBC Library. Life Sciences Libraries.
• Statistics Canada - Guide on Health Statistics
• Sourcebook of Canadian health statistics. CHLA/ABSC 1990. Tom Flemming and Diana Kent.
• Weise FO. Health statistics: an annotated bibliographic guide to information resources. 2e. Lanham, Md.: Medical Library Association and Scarecrow Press, c1997.