Question

(1.1) Marks available: 5 Teaching hospitals associated with medical schools benefit from the expertise of leading med- ical specialists, including medical professors. They typically also possess cutting-edge tech- nology for the treatment of the most serious conditions. Suppose that a recent government review has looked at the patient survival rates for all teaching and non-teaching hospitals in Australia since 2000. This review has revealed that, out of all of the patients admitted to hospital for any condition since 2000, the proportion of patients that survive for at least five years after their treatment is lower for teaching hospitals than non-teaching hospitals. This difference is statistically significant at the 5% level. Is it reasonable to conclude from this that you should avoid going to a teaching hospital? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

The review finds that the proportion of patients survive for at least five year after there treatment is lower for teaching hospitals than non teaching hospitals.

this may be because of several reasons. they are,

• There have lots of expert doctors in the non teaching hospitals but the expert doctors in a teaching hospital may be less in number .
• Most of the doctors in the non teaching hospitals are experienced but in teaching hospital only few are ( Professors ) experienced, and most of them are students.

But it is NOT reasonable to conclude from this that you should avoid going a teaching hospital. You should consider some other factors also. Such as,

• Age of patients - There may be a chance that aged patients are more in the teaching hospitals so that the proportion of patients survive for at least five year after treatment is lower for teaching hospitals
• Disease of patient - Disease of patients in teaching hospital and non teaching hospital is also responsible for this review

Hence we will not conclude using this review report that non teaching hospital is more good than teaching hospital . we should consider some other factors also