Median Not the Message, Essay Example

Reaction

My reaction to this article (attached) is overwhelming just as my “take-a ways.”  ‘The Median isn’t the Message’ is one of the most powerful messages delivered by a scientist. It has made a tremendous impact on me. In a similar fashion it might have the same effect on persons reading this story for the first time.  The real impact is that this story is true and the truth. Often patients are terrified unto death by doctors who give them a death sentence of six months to live. This has been the most favorite prognosis overtime for various stages of cancer and many other serious diseases. While statistics may carry true values these values are not applicable to everyone in the population.

For example, it is believed that the mean blood pressure readings for certain sections of the population might not be applicable to African Americans who continue to live with a blood pressure above that is above the mean. Besides, they are resistant to treatment. Consequently, providers coerced them into taking numerous medications, which have their own share of unpleasant side effects. Eventually, some patients or clients refuse medication and receive the stroke heart attack prognosis from their healthcare providers.

Many  patients out-live the prognosis and use alternative measures in controlling their perceived hypertension diagnosis. As such, my ‘take aways’ include those mentioned above and the profound understanding that statistics are not applicable to everyone since there is an error of difference for specific people in the population. To me it is a mind over matter philosophy.

Outlier

With respect to an outlier experience there is a relative’s child about 2 years old who was diagnosed with cancer. After surgery chemotherapy was administered. During the treatment this child began having serious reactions to the treatment. The mother could not tolerate watching this child suffer due to the side effects of the chemotherapy and asked the doctors if there was no other treatment. The answer came, ‘no, and he would die if the treatment is not given.’ This mother made the harsh decision of rather than seeing her child suffer from side effects of chemotherapy to let him die in peace without it. This child is now in his thirties and still alive.

Public administration consideration of impact

Public Administration using medians, means and other statistical measurements are useful. They offer a guideline into approaching issues within the science. Importantly, research provides evidence, which is produced through quantitative or qualitative approaches towards deriving supportive data. Qualitative research arrives at conclusions through theory while quantitative seek to measure using statistics. It is true that politics play a significant role in data creation and circulation, which is being published overtime. Therefore, administrators must scrutinize mean, median and other published statistics, which categorize people in the society, if they must be used for selection of the most appropriate staffing or consumer awareness purposes.

There have been serious allegations that when politicians are using platforms during campaigns they apply statistics to convince their audiences. These audiences cannot interpret mean, medians or any other measurements used to categorize people in certain sections of the society.  However, research science gives more credit to any study conclusions based on statistical evidence rather than theory. It must be understood than in the same way theory cannot explain every phenomenon similarly statistics always have a standard deviation, which may not always be calculated accurately. When calculations are accurate, since there is a standard deviation the incidence of differences exist. These are matters that must be considered when using published data consisting of mean, median and other statistical measurements that predict people’s abilities and behavior.

Besides, there are numerous factors that influence calculation of these statistical measurements. While there are standard mathematical formulas the social aspect of establishing published mean and median scores for a particular population must be carefully screened by the administrator before making a decision about persons within specified categories. President Obama was referenced in a statement that pertained to persons who live within particular geographic location being excluded from participating in certain activities because their zip code was not classified among the ‘favorable.’

Pitfalls of using data

One of the greatest pitfalls (if not the greatest) is the coinciding subjectivity linked to application of research data as evidence. When data is used in a decision making process the person applying the data has beforehand consented to its validity.  Hence, the subsequent pitfall is applying data that has not been validated. Therefore, the exposure inaccurately quoting data is highly likely.  Further, the likelihood making wrong conclusion becomes a high risk issue.

More significantly, there are levels of data. The data level determines its applicability and extent of validity.  For example, primary data is cosideredmore valid than secondary, but either data application to content first without proper citation and knowledge of accuracy can mislead audiences and initiate to serious mitigations. In establishing evidence data must be used.