Statistical significance versus clinical relevance. 2017

Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
Department of Nephrology, Radboud Institute of Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

In March this year, the American Statistical Association (ASA) posted a statement on the correct use of P-values, in response to a growing concern that the P-value is commonly misused and misinterpreted. We aim to translate these warnings given by the ASA into a language more easily understood by clinicians and researchers without a deep background in statistics. Moreover, we intend to illustrate the limitations of P-values, even when used and interpreted correctly, and bring more attention to the clinical relevance of study findings using two recently reported studies as examples. We argue that P-values are often misinterpreted. A common mistake is saying that P < 0.05 means that the null hypothesis is false, and P ≄0.05 means that the null hypothesis is true. The correct interpretation of a P-value of 0.05 is that if the null hypothesis were indeed true, a similar or more extreme result would occur 5% of the times upon repeating the study in a similar sample. In other words, the P-value informs about the likelihood of the data given the null hypothesis and not the other way around. A possible alternative related to the P-value is the confidence interval (CI). It provides more information on the magnitude of an effect and the imprecision with which that effect was estimated. However, there is no magic bullet to replace P-values and stop erroneous interpretation of scientific results. Scientists and readers alike should make themselves familiar with the correct, nuanced interpretation of statistical tests, P-values and CIs.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D003627 Data Interpretation, Statistical Application of statistical procedures to analyze specific observed or assumed facts from a particular study. Data Analysis, Statistical,Data Interpretations, Statistical,Interpretation, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analysis,Statistical Data Interpretation,Analyses, Statistical Data,Analysis, Statistical Data,Data Analyses, Statistical,Interpretations, Statistical Data,Statistical Data Analyses,Statistical Data Interpretations
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013223 Statistics as Topic Works about the science and art of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing data that are subject to random variation. Area Analysis,Estimation Technics,Estimation Techniques,Indirect Estimation Technics,Indirect Estimation Techniques,Multiple Classification Analysis,Service Statistics,Statistical Study,Statistics, Service,Tables and Charts as Topic,Analyses, Area,Analyses, Multiple Classification,Area Analyses,Classification Analyses, Multiple,Classification Analysis, Multiple,Estimation Technic, Indirect,Estimation Technics, Indirect,Estimation Technique,Estimation Technique, Indirect,Estimation Techniques, Indirect,Indirect Estimation Technic,Indirect Estimation Technique,Multiple Classification Analyses,Statistical Studies,Studies, Statistical,Study, Statistical,Technic, Indirect Estimation,Technics, Estimation,Technics, Indirect Estimation,Technique, Estimation,Technique, Indirect Estimation,Techniques, Estimation,Techniques, Indirect Estimation
D016001 Confidence Intervals A range of values for a variable of interest, e.g., a rate, constructed so that this range has a specified probability of including the true value of the variable. Confidence Interval,Interval, Confidence,Intervals, Confidence

Related Publications

Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
December 2017, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
January 2001, Progress in cardiovascular diseases,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
February 2021, The Annals of thoracic surgery,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
January 2010, Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
January 2008, Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny raekke,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
March 2008, Seminars in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
May 2018, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
May 2018, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
January 2018, The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery,
Marieke H C van Rijn, and Anneke Bech, and Jean Bouyer, and Jan A J G van den Brand
June 2012, PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation,
Copied contents to your clipboard!