The term “statistics” has two meanings depending on the context. Firstly, it refers to a scientific discipline that studies the processes of data collection and organization, analytical procedures to define assumptions’ and hypotheses’ correctness, and the peculiarities of results’ interpretation.
Secondly, the term might refer to separate and specific quantitative facts, such as numbers, ages, dates, sums of money, or the results of measurements. The definitions shed light on the close link between statistics and biostatistics.
The former basically presents the subfield of statistics in which major statistical methods and principles are applied to derive knowledge peculiar to “medicine, public health, or biology.” Statistics makes use of data collection and analysis methods to pursue diverse objectives, whereas biostatistics usually concentrates on the production of inferences about particular populations and health-related concerns affecting them.
Biostatistics can be applied in various ways to promote knowledge generation in the public health field. To start with, by selecting samples representative of the general population and exploring the effects of treatments and interventions, it is possible to analyze a few treatment methods for a disorder comparatively and use this information to further refine treatment protocols and recommendations for patients seeking medical attention.
Being concerned with disease prevention, public health can also benefit from the application of biostatistics to explore characteristics that patients with the same condition have in common, thus shedding light on the potential risk factors.