Statistical, Clinical, and Experimental Evidence in Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: LEONARD E. BRAITMAN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1983)

Editorials1 March 1983Statistical, Clinical, and Experimental Evidence in Randomized Controlled TrialsLEONARD E. BRAITMAN, PH.D.LEONARD E. BRAITMAN, PH.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-98-3-407 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn this issue, Diamond and Forrester (1) use posterior probabilities to improve on traditional methods of eliminating random variation (chance) as a likely explanation of reported clinical trial results. Their bayesian analysis can be viewed as part of a general four-step approach to the evaluation of statistically significant (positive) findings of a randomized controlled trial:1) elimination of chance as a likely explanation of the results,2) examination of clinical significance of results using an appropriate measure of the strength of the statistically significant association,3) identification of experimental biases in the trial (2, 3) and analysis of the possible...References1. DIAMOND G and FORRESTER J. Clinical trials and statistical verdicts: probable grounds for appeal. Ann Intern Med. 1983;98:385-94. LinkGoogle Scholar2. FEINSTEIN A. The scientific and clinical tribulations of randomized clinical trials. Clin Res. 1978;26:241-4. Google Scholar3. DERSIMONIAN R, CHARETTE L, MCPEEK B, and MOSTELLER F. Reporting on methods in clinical trials. N Engl J Med. 1982;306:1332-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. GORE S. Assessing methods—art of significance testing. Br Med J. 1981;283:600-2. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. BERG A. Some non-random views of statistical significance. J Fam Pract. 1979;8:1011-4. MedlineGoogle Scholar6. MORTON R and HEBEL J. Some principles of epidemiologic studies. J Fam Pract. 1979;8:781-5. MedlineGoogle Scholar7. FLETCHER R, FLETCHER S, and WAGNER E. Clinical Epidemiology—The Essentials. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins; 1982. Google Scholar8. FEINSTEIN A. How good is the evidence against oral hypoglycemic agents? In: STOLLERMAN GH, ed. Advances in Internal Medicine. Vol. 24. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers, Inc.; 1979:71-95. Google Scholar9. . How to read clinical journals: V. To distinguish useful from useless or even harmful therapy. Can Med Assoc J. 1981;124:1156-62. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: LEONARD E. BRAITMAN, PH.D.Affiliations: Section of General Internal Medicine Department of Medicine Temple University School of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byHealth-related quality of life assessment in prospective trials of systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: which instrument we need?Impact of multiple comparisons in randomized clinical trialsSystemic Lupus Erythematosus—Immunoregulatory TherapiesRandomized controlled trials in hospital epidemiologyStatistical Power Analysis in Medical ResearchLEONARD E. BRAITMAN, PH.D.Randomization ProceduresSTEPHEN J. W. EVANS, M.SC., THOMAS D. WALSH, M.SC. 1 March 1983Volume 98, Issue 3Page: 407-408KeywordsBayesian methodClinical trial reportingClinical trials ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 March 1983 PDF downloadLoading ...