Explore these issues on the Internet and through other resources. Share what you find out on these topics:
Confidence Intervals: Why are they useful in helping to determine clinical significance? There are many controversies surrounding the issue of clinical significance vs. statistical significance. Identify one of them and summarize it. Finish with your opinion about the controversy.
This is from our lesson this week:
Statistical Significance Versus Clinical Significance
Statistical significance, or hypothesis testing, is a mathematical tool used to determine whether the outcome of an experiment is due to chance or is the result of an intervention that has been tested on the sample population. Statistical significance is used in areas of medicine, nursing, social sciences, psychology, and environmental biology. Statistical significance is represented by the p (probability) and signifies the likelihood of something being true. This is signified by p being < 0.05, which is statistically significant.
Clinical significance is more a matter of judgment rather than a mathematical tool used to accept or reject a hypothesis. Clinical significance demonstrates the amount of change that takes place as a result of a study intervention or the impact that the intervention has on the everyday lives of the study participants. If the intervention creates a noticeable impact or change on the participant lives, the intervention is considered to be clinically significant. Clinical and statistical significance can exist without the other.
Related to course outcomes weeks 3 and 4:
This week's graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
Apply research principles to interpretation of the content of published research studies.
Analyze data from relevant sources to inform the delivery of care.