Birth | Embryology Statistics
- double blind study - A statistical study in which neither the subject nor the observer is aware of which treatment or intervention the subject is receiving in order to protect against bias.
- epidemiology - The statistical study of diseases within a population, covering the causes and means of prevention.
- incidence - rate of new (newly diagnosed) cases of the disease, reported as the number of new cases occurring within a period of time. This can also be further categorized by different subsets of the population; gender, racial origin, age group or by diagnostic category.
- meta analysis - The pooled results from a collection of independent statistical studies to merge their findings into a single estimate of a treatment effect. Note depending upon the individual studies criteria it may be inappropriate or misleading to statistically pool results in this way.
- multi centre study - A statistical study where subjects are selected from different locations or populations.
- odds ratio - A statistical representation of probability widely used in clinical studies to provide an estimate (and confidence interval) for the effect of a treatment. Odds are used to convey the idea of ‘risk’ and an odds ratio of 1 between two treatment groups would imply that the risks of an adverse outcome were the same in each group.
- prevalence - actual number of cases alive, with the disease either during a period of time (period) or at a particular date in time (point), reported as the number of cases as a fraction of the total population at risk. This can also be further categorized by different subsets of the population; gender, racial origin, age group or by diagnostic category.
- prospective study - A statistical study in which people are entered into the research and then followed up over a period of time with future events recorded as they happen. This contrasts with studies that are retrospective.
- retrospective study - A statistical study of the present and past and does not involve studying future events.
- sensitivity - the proportion of people with the condition who have a positive test result.
- statistical power - The ability of a statistical study to demonstrate an association or causal relationship between two variables, given that an association exists.
- systematic review - A statistical review, with or without meta analysis, where evidence from scientific studies is identified, appraised and synthesised into a methodical way according to predetermined criteria.
(Some terms based upon Glossary in NICE Guidelines, No. 13 Bookshelf).
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