Key result
Only ~47% of published colorectal surgical literature uses formal statistical testing.
Why the study?
Understanding fundamental principles of statistical analysis is important for colon and rectal surgeons to critically read the literature.
Population
190 articles of interest to colon and rectal surgeons
Design
Review of statistical methods used in the literature
Authors
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Nearly one-third of articles omit statistics; leaves open concerns on evidence quality and need for better statistical standards.
This review highlights the frequency of statistical methods used in colon and rectal surgery literature and provides a primer on basic statistical concepts.
Richard K. Reznick (1988) conducted a review in Colon and rectal surgery literature (n=190). Statistical analysis was evaluated on Presence of statistical analysis. A review of 190 articles of interest to colon and rectal surgeons found that 47% used formal statistical tests, 24% used descriptive statistics, and 29% contained no statistics.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: