A concise guide to... descriptive statistics

It has been reported that the inability of healthcare staff, including nurses and allied health professionals, to understand statistics is a frequent barrier that stops them from locally applying the latest interventions, outcomes and methods identified through research. This handicap ultimately lessens the chance of healthcare professions undertaking evidence base practice. Our aim here is to demonstrate that knowledge of statistics can be gained through self-teaching and by accessing relevant literature, and to introduce readers to statistical terminology and the basic elements of the application of descriptive statistics.