Clinical Versus Statistical Results: Understanding Significance in Evidence-Based Practice
Overview
This paper examines the distinction between clinical and statistical significance within evidence-based practice (EBP) frameworks. It argues that while statistical significance identifies relationships between variables beyond chance variation, clinical significance measures whether treatments restore patients to healthy states, and that clinical significance should be evaluated after establishing statistical significance in EBP projects.
What this essay covers
- Introduction to EBP and its five main steps in medical practice
- Definition and explanation of statistical significance and its reliance on probability
- Definition and explanation of clinical significance as treatment effectiveness
- Comparison between statistical and clinical significance in clinical outcomes
Preview
Clinical Vs. Statistical Results
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Clinical Vs. Statistical Results
EBP (evidence-based practice) projects play a significant role in medical/clinical practice. EBP is essential in facilitating the decision making process with evidence at every level of an organization. EBP consists of several processes, but five main steps are considered to be significantly critical. Some of the main EBP steps include: asking questions, finding information, critically appraising information, integration of appraised evidence with individual clinical expertise, and evaluation of the process.
A statistically significant result explains the existence of relationships or differences between variables that do not result from normal variation or chance. Clinical significance can be described as a treatment procedure's capability to enable patients to get back to their initial or healthy states (Heavey, 2015). In essence, the clinical significance is different from statistical significance as it is considered to be objective in that it attempts to identify whether or not a prescribed treatment procedure has achieved it is intended purposes (Heavey, 2015). In most cases, statistical significance is considered a variable in that it is never sure whether a particular treatment procedure will help in restoring patients into their initial states. In this sense, statistical significance mainly operates by the use of the principle of probability. In EBP, it is always essential to determine statistical significance before clinical significance is determined (Heavey, 2015).
Nevertheless, the clinical significance is usually established use of several experimental tests.