Statistics and Study Design-Application of Statistical Tests in Hand Surgery

Application of Statistical Tests in Hand Surgery

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In this article, the authors discuss the importance of statistics in medical research, specifically in the field of hand surgery. They explain how statistics help in interpreting data, summarizing results, and making evidence-based decisions. The authors provide a review of basic statistical tests commonly used in hand surgery research, including the unpaired and paired Student's t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum and signed-rank tests, Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman's correlation coefficient, Pearson chi-square test of independence, and Fisher's exact test. They discuss the appropriate use of each test and provide examples relevant to hand surgery research. The authors also highlight the importance of understanding the distinction between independent and dependent observations and the assumptions made when using parametric and nonparametric tests. Finally, they emphasize the need for statistical literacy in evaluating the validity of published literature and its application to patient care.

Keywords

statistics

medical research

hand surgery

interpreting data

summarizing results

evidence-based decisions

Pearson correlation coefficient

Spearman's correlation coefficient

parametric tests

nonparametric tests