Advances in statistical methodology and their application in critical care.
OBJECTIVE
To review some of the major advances in statistical methodology of the past two decades and their application to investigations in critical care.


RESULTS
The introduction of new technologies and the ready availability of advanced computer resources have led to significant developments in statistical methodology. These include the development of computationally intensive methods, improved methods for modeling correlated outcome data, and new methods for handling missing data. Although many of these tools are available in standard statistical software, they remain underutilized in the medical literature.


CONCLUSIONS
By becoming familiar with advances in statistical methodology, researchers and clinicians can enhance collaboration with their statistical colleagues, toward the goal of better study design and analysis.
Kong
Lan
L
Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. lkong@pitt.edu
Milbrandt
Eric B
EB
Weissfeld
Lisa A
LA
D003422:Critical Care; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological