Pediatr Allergy Respir Dis.  2011 Sep;21(3):144-155.

The Use of Statistical Methodology in Articles in Medical Journals and Suggestions for the Quality Improvement of the Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease

• Lee HJ
• Jung SK

Abstract

Statistical analysis is an essential component of all biomedical research. Use of descriptive and inferential analysis enables researchers to summarize findings and conduct generalizations from research findings. Physicians must keep current with clinical information to practice evidence-based medicine. In doing so, physicians need to access reports of original research. This requires the reader to critically appraise the design, conduct, and analysis of each study and subsequently interpret the results. However, many surveys reveal prevalent statistical errors in articles in medical journals, and it is also clear that many physicians are seriously unfamiliar with statistical methods. This constitutes a major barrier to the development of medical research. Given this situation, this review article discusses the use of statistical methods in medical journal articles, the status of statistical errors among them, and the results of evaluation of physicians' understanding of statistical methods. Moreover, this article introduces the current trend in statistical reviews to improve the quality of medical journal articles, and explains the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to medical journals. Finally, the article proposes several specific ways to improve the quality of the Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease.

Keyword

Use of statistical analysis; Statistical error; Statistical review

MeSH Terms

Evidence-Based Medicine
Generalization (Psychology)
Hypersensitivity
Quality Improvement

Reference

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