Misusage of Statistics in Medical Research

Abstract

The inappropriate use of statistical method and technique cause time and cost losts and it can be misleading to other scientific researhes. So in this study the main statistical error sources in medical research are discussed and aimed to be informative for researchers. The most common statistical error sources are determined examining the previous medical researches and taking errors into account occured in researches during statistical consulting. Inappropriate use of statistics can be found in every stage of a medical research related to data analysis; design of the experiment, data collection and pre-processing, analysis method and implementation, and interpretation. We listed several error sources that researchers easily commit if they are lack of solid statistical background. The mistakes in the studies mostly occur because of the researchers' lack of statistical knowledge and since they don't take statistical consulting. Unbiased, consistent, and efficient parameter estimates are made in statistics science. This can be provided using statistics from the planning until the end of the study. So it is neccessary to consult statisticians at each stage of the studies.

Examining of Published Articles with Respect to Statistical Errors in Medical Sciences

“…Even when a study is carefully planned, the use of incorrect statistical approaches may produce misleading, suboptimal, incoherent results that are amenable to being cited by other researchers. 3 At the publication stage, the last stage of a study, which has been reached after overcoming huge difficulties, three fundamental negative situations can ensue regarding possible negative effects of errors: (i) Publications with statistical errors induce a negative effect on science and mankind. (ii) When these errors are identified during the reviewers' assessment, they will cause a loss of academic confidence in the study, leading to an early rejection.…”

“…One can envision a long list of factors that contribute to this phenomenon, but it all boils down to researchers' lack of a solid statistical background. 3,4 In the medical sciences, the frequency and magnitude of errors have reached a level that promotes the examination of statistical errors in published articles as a self-contained research topic. In this context, premonitory reviews, as well as articles that assess statistical errors appearing in practice, have been published.…”

Assessment of Submitted Manuscripts in Medical Sciences According to Statistical Errors

“…Even when the study is carefully planned, the use of incorrect statistical approaches may end up with misleading results, which will be cited by other researchers. 2 Unfortunately, a great number of published medical research contains statistical errors. 3 A number of studies have assessed the presence of incorrect statistical analyses and presentations in published articles.…”

Use of Inappropriate Statistical Analysis and Misinterpretation of Statistical Results

“…Araştırmacıların ilgili değiş-kenle ilgili buldukları p>0,05 değeri, olası bir tekrar (replikasyon) çalışmasında "sekiz haftalık SKT'nin %95 olasılıkla günlük enerji harcamasını istatistiksel olarak anlamlı "olmayacak" şekilde artırabileceği gibi istatistiksel olarak anlamlı "olmayacak" şekilde "azaltabileceğini" de göstermek-tedir". [2][3][4] Araştırmacıların tartışmalarını, "literatürdeki diğer fiziksel egzersiz çalışmalarının aksine (orijinal metin kaynak no: 8, 31, 32, 33) sekiz haftalık SKT'nin günlük enerji harcamasını neden "artır-madığı" konusu üzerine yoğunlaştırmaları gerekirdi. Bunun yerine araştırmacılar -hatalı olarak-, araştırmalarında bulmuş oldukları "istatistiksel olarak anlamlı olmayan artışı" literatürdeki "istatistiksel olarak anlamlı artışlarla" tutarlı olan sonuçlarmış gibi tartışmışlardır.…”

“…Bu tartışma şeklinin bilimsel açıdan "doğru" olduğunu söylemek olanaklı değildir. 2,4 Sayın Aras ve Akalan'ın eleştirilerimi çalışma-larına bir katkı ve gelecek araştırmalarında dikkate alabilecekleri konu başlıkları olarak değerlendir-melerini ümit ediyorum. Ayrıca, Türkiye Klinikleri Spor Bilimleri Dergisi hakemlerinin makale değerlendirme sürecinde araştırmacılara bu konularda uygun geri-bildirimi zamanında sağlama konusunda daha hassas olmaları gerektiğini düşü-nüyorum.…”