Statistical Significance – CASP

< Back to search results
  • Format Websites
  • Language/s English
  • Target Audience Further education
  • EBM Stage 3 - Appraising evidence
  • Duration <5 mins
  • Difficulty Introductory

Key Concepts addressed

Details

In a well-conducted randomised controlled trial, the groups being compared should differ from each other only by chance and the treatment received. We can quantify chance, and so we can quantify the treatment effect in relation to it. If the difference between groups is large compared to the play of chance, we can conclude that the difference is probably due to the treatment; if it is small by comparison then we cannot exclude chance as the reason for the results.

The same statistical methods can be used for non-randomised research designs, but the interpretation is not as straightforward as for an RCT. This is because the measure of the effect is influenced by other factors which introduce bias and which cannot be fully accounted for in the analysis.

Read more

Discussion

Leave a Reply

0 Comments

You may also like

Qualitative research

Finding and appraising qualitative evidence

Rated from votes
Please log in to rate items

Clinical Trials Career

For lecture on 3 June 2021

Rated from votes
Please log in to rate items

Intro PH

intro PH

Rated from votes
Please log in to rate items