AB1165 The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) raises the significance of outcome effects above the statistical level
Authors: F Angst, A Aeschlimann, J Angst
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2017)

<h3>Background</h3> In measurement of outcome effects, the patient9s subjective perception to feel a change in health defines clinical effectiveness irrespective of statistical significance. Nevertheless, many – especially pharmacological – studies argue with statistical effects alone. <h3>Objectives</h3> To review, develop, illustrate, and discuss current and proposed new concepts of effect quantification and significance. <h3>Methods</h3> Different methods for determining minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) were reviewed and further developed focusing on their characteristics and (dis)advantages. The concepts were illustrated by empiric rehabilitation effects (evaluation study) and a randomized controlled trial (investigative study) in knee osteoarthritis. <h3>Results</h3> In controlled studies, empirical score differences between verum and placebo become statistically significant if sample sizes are sufficiently large. For example, a score difference of 5 points (scale 0–100) between the verum and the placebo effect becomes statistically significant, if the sample sizes are n≥33 for each of both groups at a standard deviation=10 of the score differences (baseline to follow-up). MCIDs by contrast, are defined by patients9 perceptions, which led to "anchoring" of effects by the "transition" item, where patients rate their change of health between baseline and follow-up in an evaluation study. The MCID for improvement by the "mean change method" is the difference of the mean change experienced by the "slightly better" group minus that of the "almost equal" group. The MCID can be expressed as absolute or relative score, as effects size (ES), standardized response mean (SRM) and standardized mean difference (SMD) (bivariate). It can further be adjusted by multivariate regression modeling. In our example of knee osteoarthritis, the MCID for pain relief was 8.74 score points (scale 0–100), 17.15% of the baseline score, ES=0.407, SRM=0.413, SMD=0.469. This is consistent to the range of 0.30–0.50 for MCIDs reviewed in literature. After adjusting for potential confounders, the MCID was 7.09 score points or an increase of 2.9% per score point to feel better obtained by logistic regression. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Absolute and relative MCIDs are easy to interpret and apply to data of investigative studies. MCIDs expressed as ES/SRM/SMD reduce bias, which mainly results from dependency on the baseline score. Multivariate linear and logistic regression modeling further reduces bias by adjustment for possible confounders and increase validity. Anchor-based methods use clinical/subjective perception to define MCIDs and should be clearly differentiated from distribution-based methods that provide statistical effect significance only. <h3>References</h3> Angst F, Aeschlimann A, Angst J. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) raised the significance of outcome effects above the statistical level, with methodological implications for future studies. J Clin Epidemiol 2016;epub 13/12/2016. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None declared