[Current trends in the use of statistics in medicine. A study of original articles published in the Medicina Clínica (1991-1992)].
BACKGROUND
In recent years there has been a notable increase in the use of statistical techniques in biomedical journals. Furthermore, the complexity of statistical analysis has increased because of data processing. In this study statistical accessibility is quantified and the types of statistical analysis performed in all the articles published under the section of original articles in the journal Medicina Clínica from 1991 to 1992 (volumes 96 to 99).


METHODS
One reviewer analyzed a total of 264 original articles. The statistical analyses were classified according to a list with 18 categories. The quantification of accessibility was obtained from the order of the 18 categories with bivariate statistics (up to simple regression), being used as the reference threshold. Intrareviewer concordance was 97%.


RESULTS
Eighty-one percent of the 264 originals used categories of statistical analysis beyond that of descriptive statistics (inferential methods). The originals used bivariate tables (49.2%) and t and z tests (33.3%) most frequently. In 1992 the use of variance analysis and survival analysis increased notably (from 12.8% to 33.8% and 7.2% to 18.7%, respectively). More complex statistical techniques that models of simple regression (threshold reference) were used in 38.3% of the originals (31.2% in 1991 and 44.6% in 1992).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of inferential statistics and the complexity of statistical analysis has increased suggesting a lower statistical accessibility in the originals of Medicina Clinica. The categories of variance analysis and survival analysis were those in which the greatest increase was observed in 1992 and were responsible for the increase in the complexity of 20% of the originals.
Mora Ripoll
R
R
Departament de Salut Pública i Legislació Sanitària, Universitat de Barcelona.
Ascaso Terrén
C
C
Sentís Vilalta
J
J
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D013030:Spain; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014956:Writing
Tendencias actuales en la utilización de la estadística en medicina. Estudio de los artículos originales publicados en Medicina Clínica (1991-1992).