The first edition of An Introduction to Medical Statistics was published in 1987 by Oxford University Press, with an English Language Book Service edition for developing countries (identical in content, but cheaper) following in 1989. The second edition was published in 1995, together with a corresponding ELBS edition. The third edition was published in 2000. The fourth edition was published in 2015. The first edition (including ELBS) sold 16,500 copies. The second edition had sold 6,307 copies by 30th September 1996. The book is intended for medical students, doctors, and other health professionals. It covers sufficient material for most under-graduate and post-graduate medical examinations, and includes 100 multiple choice questions. The design and analysis of real medical research projects is emphasised.
‘Statistical methods for assessing agreement’ addressed the issue of how to compare two methods of measuring the same thing. It emphaised the interpretation of an individual measurement. Two methods were said to agree if the measurements taken by one method could be replaced by measurements by the other. To this end, the maximum difference which is likely to arise between measurements by the two methods was calculated, giving rise to the 95% limits of agreement. This paper became a Citation Classic in 1992, and by August 2015 had been cited 25,489 times. It is one of the top 30 most highly cited papers ever. I have written a brief account of its citation history. The paper can be read in full and downloaded on this website.
I have not (so far!) repeated this success, but several of my other papers have been well cited. I maintain a list of my papers which have been cited 200 or more times.
Chadwick OC, Anderson HR, Bland JM, Ramsey J. (1991) Solvent abuse: a population based neuropsychological study Springer, New York.
Bland M. (1995) An Introduction to Medical Statistics, Second Edition Oxford University Press, Oxford. (English Language Book Service edition for developing countries 1995.)
Bland M. (2000) An Introduction to Medical Statistics, Arabic Edition Arab Center for Arabization, Translation, Authorship and Publication ( ACATAP), Damascus.
Bland M. (2000) An Introduction to Medical Statistics, Third Edition Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Bland M and Peacock JL. (2000) Statistical Questions in Evidence-based Medicine Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Bland M and Peacock J. (2002) Statistical Questions in Evidence-based Medicine, Japanese Edition Shinohara, Tokyo.
Bland M. (2009) Statistica Medica. Apogeo, Milan. (Italian edition of An Introduction to Medical Statistics, 3rd Edition.)
Bland M. (2015) An Introduction to Medical Statistics, Fourth Edition Oxford University Press, Oxford.
More or Less, BBC Radio 4, twice, speaking about regression towards the mean and about mortality and handedness.
You and Yours, BBC Radio 4, speaking about a trial of a bisphosphonate.
Am I Normal?, BBC Radio 4, speaking about normal or reference ranges.
Health Freaks, Outline Productions for Channel 4, six programme series broadcast October and November, 2013. Statistical advisor and data analyst for four randomised controlled clinical trials of popular remedies. Very brief appearance on screen.
Christmas University Chalenge, BBC2, 31st December 1999, as member of an Imperial College Alumni team. We defeated a Warwick Alumni team 115 - 80, but did not score enough to progress to the semi-final.
Podcast of a Thomson Scientific interview to mark Bland and Altman (1999) Measuring agreement in method comparison studies (Statistical Methods in Medical Research 8, 135-160) becoming an Institute for Scientific Information Current Classic.
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Last updated: 1 January, 2020.