Statistical Power Analysis in Medical Research

Editorials1 August 1983Statistical Power Analysis in Medical ResearchLEONARD E. BRAITMAN, PH.D.LEONARD E. BRAITMAN, PH.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-99-2-269 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMany clinicians and medical researchers are unsure how to interpret data that do not pass tests of statistical significance. Because a nonsignificant result does not imply that there is no effect or no difference, it is important to make "the distinction between positively demonstrating that a treatment had no effect and failing to demonstrate that it does have an effect . . ." (1). In clinical trials, the lack of efficacy of a new treatment sometimes is inferred from a nonsignificant difference between outcomes in treatment and placebo groups. Such inferences are invalid without consideration of the ability of the...References1. GLANTZ S. Primer of Biostatistics. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1981:129-51. Google Scholar2. DERSIMONIANCHARETTEMCPEEKMOSTELLER RLBF. Reporting on methods in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 1982;306:1332-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. INGELFINGERMOSTELLERTHIBUDEAUWARE JFLJ. Biostatistics in Clinical Medicine. New York: Macmillan; 1983. Google Scholar4. BRAITMAN L. Statistical, clinical, and experimental evidence in randomized controlled trials [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 1983;98:407-8. LinkGoogle Scholar5. FREIMANCHALMERSSMITHKUEBLER JTHR. The importance of beta, the type II error and sample size in the design and interpretation of the randomized control trial. N Engl J Med. 1978;299:690-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. FEINSTEIN A. Clinical Biostatistics. St. Louis: C. V. Mosby; 1977:320-34. Google Scholar7. DIAMONDFORRESTER GJ. Clinical trials and statistical verdicts: probable grounds for appeal. Ann Intern Med. 1983;98:385-94. LinkGoogle Scholar8. FLEISS J. Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1981:34. Google Scholar9. COHEN J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2nd ed. New York: Academic Press; 1977. Google Scholar10. FLETCHERFLETCHERWAGNER RSE. Clinical Epidemiology—The Essentials. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1982:153-67. Google Scholar11. KOHOUT F. Statistics for Social Scientists. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1974:305-13. Google Scholar12. YOUNGBRESNITZSTROM MEB. Sample size nomograms for interpreting negative clinical studies. Ann Intern Med. 1983;99:248-51. LinkGoogle Scholar13. COLTON T. Statistics in Medicine. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co. ; 1974:99-146. Google Scholar14. PHILLIPS D. Basic Statistics for Health Science Students. San Francisco: W. M. Freeman; 1978:142. Google Scholar15. ALTMAN D. Size of clinical trials. Br Med J. 1983;286:1842-3. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: 423 Vine Street; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byExploring polypharmacy burden among elderly patients with chronic diseases in Chinese community: a cross-sectional studyEstrogen Deficiency Increases the Ability of Stromal Cells to Support Murine Osteoclastogenesis via an Interleukin-1and Tumor Necrosis Factor-mediated Stimulation of Macrophage Colony-stimulating Factor ProductionSubcutaneous Epinephrine Vs. Nebulized Metaproterenol in Acute AsthmaAbnormal Parasympathetic Vagal Function in Patients with Spasmodic DysphoniaMARK FELDMAN, M.D., J.V NIXON, M.D., TERESE FINITZO-HIEBER, Ph.D., FRANCES J FREEMAN, Ph.D. 1 August 1983Volume 99, Issue 2Page: 269-271KeywordsClinical trialsResearch and reporting methodsStatistical data Issue Published: 1 August 1983 PDF downloadLoading ...