Statistics for colon and rectal surgeons.
To read the literature critically, it is important to understand the fundamental principles of statistical analysis. In a review of 190 articles of interest to colon and rectal surgeons, it was found that only 29 percent of articles contained no statistics at all. Twenty-four percent contained descriptive statistics (mean, median, standard, deviation) and 47 percent contained the use of formal statistical tests. In this article, several basic statistical concepts are reviewed. The three most frequently used tests in the colon and rectal literature, the t test, chi-square, and nonparametric tests, are described. An example of each test is given to illustrate how the test is used and how the results are interpreted.
Reznick
R K
RK
Department of Surgery, Toronto Western Hospital, Ontario, Canada.
D003107:Colorectal Surgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012107:Research Design