michigan informatics

Types of Statistical Information Found on the Internet

There are three important formats of statistical information that you may find on the Internet.

1. Data sets which can be either downloaded for manipulation offline or queried online using a web-based interface.
   
   A large set of data that you can query is often the most useful format of online health statistics, as you can analyze the data yourself, find exactly the information you need, and come to your own conclusions. However, very large sets of raw data generally need to be downloaded to your computer and analyzed using statistical software such as SAS or SPSS. Some web sites provide an online query system which allows you to search the data directly from the web site. Most online query systems, however, only allow you to search a predigested set of statistics and not the original data. Even though it may appear as if you have a large degree of control, your options for correlating data points will be extremely limited in these online query systems.
   
   Examples of data sets include:
   • U.S. Census Integrated Public Use Micro Data
   • Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Data Sets
   • National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
2. Statistics which already have been analyzed and summarized for you. These may be presented as tables, graphs, or maps. Some may have a searchable interface, although your ability to query and analyze the data will be limited.
   
   A majority of the data that you will find on web sites will be compiled statistics. These are perfect when you need a few quick facts to support a statement or are looking for background information on an issue. They are less useful, of course, if you need data that you can analyze yourself.
   
   Examples of web sites with statistics include:
   • National Hospital Discharge Survey
   • Health, United States
   • Dartmouth Atlas of Healthcare
3. Research Summaries which present the results of research, using either primary or secondary data, in the published media.
   
   Often the information you need will not simply appear on a web site which is dedicated to providing data and statistics. Instead, it may be buried in a journal article, an online book, or a report. This information can be the most difficult to find and requires you to be particularly creative and persistent when searching.
   
   Examples of resources for searching the published media include:
   • PubMed
   • The Michigan eLibrary (MeL)
   • The Grey Literature Report