AN UPDATE ON BIOSTATISTICS REQUIREMENTS IN US MEDICAL-SCHOOLS

Purpose. To update the results of previous surveys of medical schools in the United States concerning their courses in introductory biostati stics and to acquire additional information about these courses. Metho d. In 1993, the authors sent a questionnaire to each of the 125 U.S. m edical schools listed in the 1992-93 AAMC Directory of American Educat ion. The questionnaire sought information about biostatistics courses and the subjects covered therein. Results. One hundred of the 125 medi cal schools (80%) responded to the survey. Of those, 74 required a cou rse in biostatistics as part of their undergraduate medical curriculum . The courses had large enrollments (median, 134) and a median of only 20 hours of instructional time. Most courses included a large amount of material, with 25 possible topics covered by at least 75% of the sc hools with required courses. Conclusion. While efforts have been made to incorporate innovative instructional techniques into these courses, most still follow the traditional lecture format and mako minimal use of computers. Nevertheless, medical students appeared to have a favor able attitude toward these courses at over half of the schools surveye d.