Implications of trial results: the potentially misleading notions of number needed to treat and average duration of life gained.
Consider a physician advising a patient to start antihypertensive treatment. He has the unenviable task of presenting often conflicting trial data in a comprehensible manner. He must justly represent the known risks and benefits such that his patient can make a reasonably Informed choice. Should the physician cite the number needed to treat or the average duration of life gained to clarify his explanations?
Lubsen
J
J
SOCAR Research SA, Nyon, Switzerland. D.E.Grobbee@jc.azu.nl
Hoes
A
A
Grobbee
D
D
D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards; D018401:Sample Size; D016019:Survival Analysis